Following In Her Footsteps
by Tracy2
Summary: Sequel to Suffer Little Children. Steve and Rae work together on a triple murder, but Rae has personal problems to deal with too. *STORY NOW COMPLETE* Thank you for all the reviews. They are wonderful. Please R and R.
1. 1st Monday

Following In Her Footsteps By Tracy Wood 

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction, written, and hopefully read, strictly for enjoyment. The main characters of Mark, Steve, Amanda, and Jesse, as well as Cheryl, CJ, Dion and Chief Masters are from the series Diagnosis Murder, and as such are the property of CBS/Viacom. All other characters, especially Detective Reagan Yeager, her family, Martin Robertson, Phil Levington, Jan Burlington, Officer Campbell and Doctors' Collins and Dobson are mine.

This is the continuation of Rae's life in Los Angeles. The story starts two weeks after Suffer Little Children finished. You don't need to have read that story, but as you will find out who the murderer was by reading this one, you may like to read it first. I am grateful for all the kind words I received about that story, it was my first effort and the reviews were much appreciated.

This story was a lot of fun to write, the more so because of all the help I got from Jo. She read my story, commented on it, and made helpful, insightful suggestions. I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much without her. Here's to more stories my friend.

Monday 

Rae stretched lazily in bed and turned to look at Jesse, who was still sound asleep. She smiled over at him and picked up her book off the nightstand. Today was the last day of her sick leave and Jesse had taken the day off so that they could spend it together. Rae smiled, put her book back down and her hands behind her head. She had to admit she'd needed the two weeks off that she'd been given. At first she'd felt fine. The painkillers that Mark prescribed had meant that her neck wasn't sore, and she'd tricked herself into believing that she was bouncing back easily. But when the medication had stopped the nightmares had started. She no longer dreamt that Mara was in any danger, now all she could see were Leticia Howard's hands holding the scarf in front of her, and even though she knew it hadn't actually happened, she could see Jesse running to save her, but getting further away instead of closer to her. Rae shuddered and got out of bed. She padded into the kitchen and put the water on for a cup of tea.

"Hey, I thought we were having a lie in!" Jesse's sleepy voice followed her out into the living area.

"Jesse, it's nine thirty in the morning! How late did you want to get up? Besides, I didn't wake you, I was very careful."

He followed Rae into the kitchen and she smiled at him. His hair was sticking up and he looked half asleep, _and very cute._ "Hey, handsome, I was gonna bring you a cup of coffee in bed." She walked over to him to give him a good morning kiss.

"Mmm, that's better than coffee! So, what do we have planned for today?"

"I thought we could go to the store and get the groceries in, as we'll …

The phone rang; Rae stopped talking and went over to pick it up. "Travis' residence…Oh, hi, Steve, oh." Rae's shoulders drooped. "No, that's OK, we were just going to have a lazy day… yeah I'll be there as soon as I can, we can talk about it then. Bye." Rae picked up her cup and walked over to the sofa. She sat down heavily and looked up at Jesse. "I would imagine that you got the gist of the conversation?" 

"Yeah, you have to go to work." Jesse sat down next to her and took her hand. "Look, we both have jobs where we work long hours, and days off. I'm just thankful that you're still here for me to enjoy having around. So go do your job already, and I'll get the shopping in, and if you're real lucky I'll even cook dinner!"

Rae leant over and kissed Jesse on the lips again. "Thank you for being so understanding, I better get dressed." Rae wandered back into the bedroom and looked in the closet. She had half of her things at the Beach House, and half here. The trouble was, she could never remember what was where. She grabbed a pair of black jeans that she'd bought on her shopping trip with Amanda, and an orange t-shirt, _I'll look like a bumble bee today, _smiled, took her underwear from the drawer and headed for the shower. As she got into the water she heard the phone go again. 

"Hey, Mark, how's it going?" Jesse was pleased to hear the voice of his friend, he'd been away from the hospital a good deal while Rae had been off work and they hadn't seen that much of each other. "No, she's in the shower right now, but Steve just called she has to go into work a day early... I think she's fine, Mark, she's still troubled by the nightmares, but they'll ease, and she seems to get back off to sleep easy enough…No, I'm at a loose end now, I don't mind covering at all… Yeah, I'll see you later."

Jesse went into the bedroom and called out to Rae. "Hey, are you still in the shower?"

He heard a muffled voice, which told him that she was brushing her teeth. "That was Mark on the phone, he needs me to cover a shift, so I'm working as well. I guess it'll be take out again tonight."

Rae came out of the bathroom; she had the handle of the hairbrush in her teeth, as she tried to attach her badge onto her belt while she walked. Jesse noticed her gun in a holster on her belt as well now. He was glad, if that had been there a fortnight ago, she wouldn't have nearly died. "Well, Doctor, I guess I'm no longer under your care. Thank you for the wonderful personal service." Rae walked over and ran the brush through his hair; she put her arms around him and kissed him slowly and passionately on the lips. "I gotta go, I'll speak to you later, OK?" She untangled herself and walked over to the door.

"Bye, sweetheart, I hope you have a quiet day."

"Yeah, you, too." Rae walked out to her car. Tom was shining in the sun. She had spent a happy hour yesterday washing and waxing him. She got in, shut the door, put a Michael Ball CD in the player and headed into town. The traffic was easing back a little after the morning rush, and it seemed no time at all before she was pulling into the parking lot at the precinct. 

"Detective Yeager, nice to see you back. How're you feeling?" the desk sergeant smiled at her as she walked in.

"Morning, Bob, Not too bad, thanks. Is Lieutenant Sloan in?"

"Yep, I think he's waiting for you in the Chief's office."

Rae raised her eyebrows and headed for the stairs. As she entered the squad room she caught sight of her desk, there seemed to be a lot of paperwork spread all over it. She smiled; she hadn't expected anything else. She walked over and knocked on the Chief's door.

"Come."

Rae walked in and both Steve and the Chief stood up.

"Good morning, Gentlemen."

"Detective, I'm sorry you were called in a day early, but we needed you in at the beginning of this case. Did Lieutenant Sloan explain anything to you over the phone?"

"No, Sir, I said that I'd discuss it when I got in, it seemed the quicker option."

"We got a call about one and a half hours ago, to say that a body had been found in an apartment block in Venice. The victim was related to the woman in the call girl killing you were looking at for Detective Campbell. I want you two to take over the whole investigation. Start at the apartment house, and let me know what you find."

Steve and Rae stood up and went to leave the room. "Detective Yeager?"

"Yes, Sir?" Rae stopped as Steve carried on out into the squad room.

"I want two things to be perfectly clear. One, you do **not** go running off on your own again, everywhere you go let Lieutenant Sloan know first." Steve turned to listen to his boss.

Rae lowered her head. "Yes, Sir, I understand."

"And two, if at any time over the next few days you feel at all out of sorts, under the weather, or whatever you want to call it, you let the Lieutenant know, and you go home. I don't underestimate what you've been through, and you shouldn't either. That's all, dismissed."

Rae turned, joined Steve and went over to her desk. "Well, that went better than I'd hoped. I did wonder whether I'd be on the first plane back to London… Ah, there appears to have been a minor disaster on my desk! Haven't we been here before?" Rae smiled as she referred to the first day that the two detectives had met, and Rae had spent most of the afternoon clearing their desks so that she could work efficiently.

"Right, Rae, I guess we'd better head over to see the crime scene. The last I heard the Scene of Crime Unit was waiting for Amanda to come and view the body. She was held up by a six-car pile up on PCH this morning. I've been over there already, but I came back to get you. I wasn't sure if you would know how to get to this particular location, and I didn't think you'd want to see the Chief alone."

Rae smiled at his thoughtfulness and headed for the door. As they walked out into the parking lot she looked over to him and smiled. "So, your car, or mine?"

"Mine! No contest. I know we used yours a couple of times on the last case, but trust me that **won't** be happening again this time!" Steve pressed the remote control and his car unlocked itself. Rae slid into the passenger seat and put on her seatbelt. Steve got in beside her, smiled and pulled out into the street. "Remember, if you need to rest, or you feel bad, let me know, OK? Jesse'll kill me if you don't!"

"Steve, I'm fine, honestly. I needed the break, I don't deny that, but now I need to be back at work. Tomorrow would have suited me better, but we can't have everything now, can we! So what do we have on this case so far? Not the stuff that happened last month, but today's murder."

"OK, so far I know that the victim is called Ethan Norville, he was twenty-eight years old and worked as a delivery man. He was shot, at point blank range, the same MO as Kelly Brown, about six weeks ago. At present, all we know is that they were related by marriage, but if there is anything else we'll find it, won't we, Detective?

"Yes, Sir." Rae leant back into the headrest and took a deep breath. She was glad to be back in the saddle and although she had needed the rest she'd missed being at work. She was relieved that she hadn't come back to desk duty, but was able to get straight back out onto the streets.

As Steve pulled up outside the apartment house they could see the coroner's wagon parked in front of them. They both got out of the car and walked towards the building.

"What floor?" Rae pressed the button to the elevator and waited for it to arrive.

"Second, Apartment Six." The doors opened and they both got in. As they arrived on the second floor, moments later, they could see Amanda working in the corridor. They walked up to her, pulling on their gloves as they went.

"Hi, Amanda, how are you today?" Rae was smiling as she walked up to her friend. "What do you think of the jeans?" She gave a little twirl.

"Very nice, try not to get them covered in brains, Mr. Norville appears to have left most of his inside his apartment."

"She has such a way with words doesn't she?" Steve smiled and they walked around the body and made their way into the apartment. They both knew that until Amanda had finished her examination they couldn't touch the corpse.

"Nice flat – for a deliveryman." Rae looked around. The room was open plan. There was a kitchen area over to the left and in the opposite corner there was the bedroom, the only part of the room that had any privacy was the bathroom and toilet which was on the right hand side with a door about ten foot in from the front entrance. "I could not live like this, everybody who visited would see your whole life set out in front of them." She walked over towards the bed and picked a sock up off the floor, "See what I mean? Everyday visitors aren't supposed to see your dirty laundry, or your clean for that matter!" She picked up an ironed shirt, which was draped over a chair. As she did so she heard a noise and saw a coin roll away.

"Did you see where that went?" Rae got down on her knees. She could see the coin under the bed. "Ah, Sir, you might want to come and look at this." Her voice was muffled. She moved away from the bed. "You'll have to come down to my level though."

Steve got down onto the floor, and peered down to where Rae was indicating. He stood up again. "Has anybody got a flashlight?"

"Yes, Lieutenant." An officer came in from the corridor and handed over the torch to Steve. He nodded his thanks and got back down on the floor. He looked over at Rae and said "So this is what the world looks like from your perspective then?" She stuck her tongue out at him and indicated under the bed with her hand.

"Back to work, Lieutenant, if you don't mind!" but she was smiling. She'd missed his company; it was one of the few things that she had enjoyed during their first case together. It'd been an awful one, but it had resulted in her gaining three good friends, _and Jesse._

Steve shone the flashlight under the bed where Rae had seen a pile of magazines, there was just enough of the front cover of one of them showing for her to know that it wouldn't have been on a newsstand next to Time Magazine. The beam of light also picked out a black box. Steve looked over at Rae. "I'm far to big to get under there, you on the other hand …" he let the sentence remain unfinished.

Rae got down flat on the floor. She shuffled her way under the bed, and started to hand the magazines out into the room. She had just passed the black box out and was about to move back into daylight when she started to sneeze. "Atishoo, Atishoo, Atishoo!" She felt Steve lift the bed up and she crawled away and stood up. She shook her head and looked at him. "Why couldn't you have just done that in the first place?"

"Sorry, I didn't think about it until you started to sneeze. Was it dusty under there?" He smiled as he said it and Rae looked down at herself.

"Oh, great! Now I look like a bag lady!" Her new jeans were covered with fluff, and her orange t-shirt was creased and stained. "I've been back at work what, less than two hours, and already I have to go change."

They walked over to the kitchen counter and put the magazines in a pile. Then Steve tried to open the box. He expected it to be locked. He wasn't disappointed.  "Have you got a hairpin?"

"Do I look like the sort of woman who wears a hairpin? I don't have enough hair for a start! Why don't we wait until we get back to the station and open it there?"

"Steve, Rae," Amanda called them from the hall. "I'm about to head back to Community General."

"What can you tell us before you go?" Steve walked over to his friend.

"Not much that you couldn't work out for yourself. He was shot from the side at point blank range, and lost most of the front of his skull on the wallpaper. There's nothing under his nails, so I would say that he either knew who killed him, or he was so stunned that he didn't have time to put up a fight. He's still warm; I'd say he died a little after nine. I can't tell you anything else until I get him back to the morgue. If you come over in the morning I'll let you know what else I've found out. OK?"

"Yes, thanks, Amanda, we'll see you then." Steve put his hand on his friend's shoulder and she smiled at him. Then she picked up her things and followed the corpse out to the wagon.

"OK, I had a couple of officers start door to door enquiries before I came back to the station. Let's go and see how they're getting on."

Rae and Steve walked out into the corridor, just in time to see Officer Robertson get out of the elevator and head towards them. "Hey, Martin, how are you?" Rae was pleased to see the young man. She had become quite friendly with him on their first case, and he had sent her some lovely flowers while she was recuperating. "Thank you for the flowers, they were beautiful."

Martin felt himself turning red. He stuttered a little and then said, "It was a pleasure to send them to you, Detective. Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, thanks, much. What have you found out so far?"

"Not a lot. Mr. Norville kept himself to himself. He'd lived here about two years according to the janitor. He was a deliveryman; he delivered newspapers to local newsstands and was usually back here by nine each morning. Apparently Friday's and Monday's he was a little later, but nobody seemed to know why. His neighbours knew that he slept for most of the late afternoon and early evening, but they said that they didn't see much of him, even when he was awake."

"What about friends, and family, did he have many visitors?" Steve was taking notes as he spoke.

"His next door neighbour said that he had two friends that used to come over once a week at about seven and she could hear them through the wall. She thought they watched videos or the game on Monday night football."

"So they should be coming over tonight. Right I want somebody on watch here, I want to know who comes over. Martin, what time do you finish today?"

"I've been on since three am, Sir, I'm due to finish at three this afternoon."

"Oh, right, well, I guess we'd better get somebody else then. Good work, Officer, we'll see you back at the station."

Steve turned to Rae, "How do you fancy a stakeout tonight, Detective?"

"I'd rather be at home with Jesse, but if you insist." She went back into the apartment. She could see where the wall had been marked to identify the brain matter there, and also the blood splatters. There was a man taking photos. She stopped and waited while he finished what he was doing.

"Thank you. You'd be surprised how many cops just walk in front of me when I'm doing that." The young man behind the camera smiled and held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Phil Levington, and you are?"

"I'm Detective Yeager. Hi, how much longer do you think you'll be?"

"Not much longer. I'm on the last set of shots now. Good job I've got a strong stomach I guess."

Rae moved back over to the counter. "Steve, have you got anything we can put all our copies of _Pleazure_ magazine and the box in? I think we're likely to get arrested ourselves if we carry them out like this." Rae looked down at the top cover and shook her head. She opened the cupboard under the sink unit and pulled out a black plastic rubbish bag. _Trash, remember, it's trash._ "Do you think I could use this?" She held it up as Steve came back into the room.

"Sure, just jot it down when we get back to the station, so there are no discrepancies."

Rae placed all the evidence into the bag and placed it over her shoulder. "Not quite Santa Claus, but who knows, this might help trap a killer."

They walked back down to the parking lot and got into the car. Martin Robertson came over to them. "All the officers have finished the door to door, Lieutenant, should we head back now?"

"Yes please. Can you make sure they all have their reports on my desk within the next hour?"

"Sure thing."

Steve put his seatbelt on and they headed back towards the station.  "You know I get the feeling that it won't be long before Martin joins the ranks of Detective. He's a good reliable officer. I think he'd do a good job."

As they were driving along Rae's phone began to ring. She put her hand in her pocket and took it out. "Oh, great, it's the station, I wonder where we have to go now. Hello, Detective Yeager… Oh, yes, Sir, we're actually on our way back at the moment… No, I didn't bring it with me; I didn't think I'd need it… Uh, no, I think I'll have to go and get changed first; can you give me about an hour? Thank you, Sir." Rae put the phone back in her pocket and ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh, boy! I think I wish I **had** been put on a plane back to London!"

"Why, what's up?" Steve had been growing more confused the longer the conversation went on. He had no idea what Rae had been talking about.

"Apparently, the police swap that I've done with Cheryl has caught the eye of the papers, probably because of the Howard case, anyway the Chief has agreed that I can have my picture taken and an article written about me to appear in the newspaper tomorrow! However, as you can see, I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion. He wanted to know if I'd brought my dress uniform for goodness sake!"

"I guess you want me to run you back to Jesse's then?" Rae nodded her head.

"Yeah, I think I've got some clean clothes there... No, have we got time to go to the Beach House? I'll wear, the suit!"

Steve turned the car around at the next junction and they headed out towards the beach. Rae picked up her phone again and rang Jesse. "Hey, do you have time for a bite to eat? Somebody, mentioning no names, but he's tall, blue eyes, sitting next to me, has volunteered us for a stakeout tonight!"

Steve smiled, he could hear Jesse on the other end of the phone, "Yeah, it's quiet here right now, I'll meet you at the station in about forty minutes, OK?"

Rae folded her phone up and put it away. She shut her eyes and tried to ignore the fact that her photo was going to be splashed across the papers, still it would be nice to send to her children and her mother. _I must phone her tonight, I really must._

Rae wandered into her room at the beach house, and headed for the wardrobe, she took out the suit and laid it on the bed. She had bought a white silk shirt when she was on her shopping trip and she got that out as well, then she headed for the shower.

Steve sat on the deck watching the world go by. It was good to have Rae back with him. They hadn't been together long, but their first case had been so intense that it felt like they'd worked together much longer than they actually had. He heard Rae clear her throat behind him and turned round. "Well, you certainly don't look like a bag lady now, very nice."

"Thank you, kind Sir, I guess we'd better go back. Ugh, I hate having my photo taken, they never look like you think they will, and I've normally got my eyes shut!"

She walked out of the house, and Steve locked up behind them. Rae looked at him over the roof of the car and got into the passenger seat. Steve smiled as he got into the car and saw Rae go to run her fingers through her hair and then stop herself.

When they arrived at the station, Steve opened Rae's door for her and she reluctantly got out of the car. "Oh, look, they forgot the red carpet, would you like me to carry you up?" Rae stuck her tongue out at Steve and headed towards the main entrance.

"Hi, Detective Yeager, there's a photographer waiting upstairs for you."

"Oh, great, Bob, is he early or are we late?"

"Stop making excuses to chat, Detective, come on, he won't kill you, just take your picture." Steve smiled.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Oh, yeah!" Steve put his hand on her back and guided her up the stairs. As they entered the room they could see the back of the photographer in the Chief's office.

"Ah, Detective, Lieutenant, won't you both come in?"

Rae entered the room and then smiled. "Oh, hi, Mr. Levington, it's a small world isn't it? How come you're taking live pictures then?"

"I work freelance for the national papers as well as taking pictures for the police. It works well because I'm in and out of here all the time, and was in the right place at the right time to do this as well. OK, I'll just take a couple of shots and then the reporter is out in the other room waiting to talk to you. Ah, if you stand in front of the Chief's desk the light will be in the right place. Oh, and remember to smile, unless you want somebody to put a number under your name!"

"Ha, ha!" Rae decided that she didn't want to stand up, so she perched herself on the edge of the desk and waited for Phil to take his pictures. She heard the shutter click and then saw him lower his camera.

"Oh, come on, Detective, I said smile!" Rae took a deep breath, and then out of the corner of her eye she saw Jesse coming into the office and a huge smile broke across her face.

"That's better, that was wonderful, great, I don't need any more, thank you, I wish all my subjects were as photogenic as you!"

Rae slid off the desk, shook hands with Phil and went out into the squad room. She walked over to Jesse and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. The room erupted with catcalls. "Down boys!"

"Hey, if we form a queue, can we all have one?" a voice called out from across the room. Rae smiled, secretly delighted. She guessed she was beginning to be accepted. She saw a young woman move across towards her.

"Hi, my name is Sarah Hutchins, I'm a reporter with the Los Angeles Times, is there somewhere we could talk?"

"Yeah, sure," Rae looked around.

"You can use my office, Detective," the Chief walked out through his door and gestured for them to enter.

"Jesse, are you going to come in, too?" Rae looked over at reporter, "That's alright isn't it?"

"Of course." They entered the room and shut the door. Rae sat down on the corner of the desk once again and told the reporter general information about herself, her age, about her children and why they were still in London, and what she hoped to achieve while she was here. Then she waited for the next question.

"So, Detective, how are you enjoying your stay in L.A.?"

"Great, I'm really enjoying the job," she turned and smiled at Jesse, "The people, and of course, the beaches are fantastic."

"I understand that you helped solve a particularly distressing child abuse case in the first two weeks of your stay, what can you tell me about that?"

"Not a lot I'm afraid, the case hasn't come to court yet, so I'll have to stay off that subject."

"It's true though, isn't it, that you were seriously injured at that time, and you've only just returned to work?"

"Yes, I came back to work today actually."

"So, what are the main differences between working in London and here?"

"Well, let me think. I'm getting used to calling things by different names, freeway instead of motorway, sidewalk instead of pavement things like that. It's great to know that the sun is probably going to shine most of the time, but London isn't as violent as L.A., although it's getting worse." She paused. "And nobody ever tried to kill me in London!"

"Who is your partner while you're here, Detective?"

"Lieutenant Steve Sloan, his normal partner Detective Cheryl Banks is in London."

"Well, I don't think I need anything else from you at the moment, Phil assures me that he's got a great photo, so hopefully you should be in the paper as early as tomorrow. Thank you for your time, Detective, and, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Sarah looked over at Jesse.

"Oh, I'm Dr. Jesse Travis, how do you do?" He held his hand out to the reporter.

"Did you know Detective Yeager before she arrived here?"

"No, I met her because Lieutenant Sloan is my best friend and business partner in a restaurant, hey don't forget to mention BBQ Bob's, the best barbeque restaurant in town!"

"Oh, right. Well I'd better be going, thanks again for your time," and with that the reporter and the photographer left the room. Rae put her hand into Jesse's and then they followed them out.

"Right, how long do you have left for lunch, Jesse?" Rae looked at her watch, "Good heavens it's half past two already." 

"I signed out until half past three, then I'm going to go back and carry on covering for Dr. Collins. There must be a place close by where we can grab something."

They wandered out into the street and stopped at the first Deli they found. Luckily it had a couple of tables out front and so they sat, ate their sandwiches and chatted about the interview and Rae's new case until Jesse's pager went off about thirty-five minutes later. "Sorry, Rae, I gotta go, are you coming back to my place tonight, or going home with Steve?"

"I hadn't really thought about it, but it would make more sense to go home with Steve, I'll see you tomorrow, Jesse." She leant over and kissed him, eyes shut, enjoying the sensation.

Rae went back into the precinct and made her way to her desk. She planned to spend a while sorting it out and writing up what she had learnt that morning and she needed to get on to the right authorities to get the details of Norville's bank account. She knew that Steve had gone to get the black box opened, so she hoped that she would have some time to herself.

It was almost an hour later before Rae had her desk back the way she liked it. Then she got herself a drink of water and sat down with her notebook open in front of her. She hadn't had time to make too many notes while she was at the apartment, but she had a good memory and in no time the pen was flying across the page as she wrote down her impressions of what had happened as well as the factual details about what they'd found under the bed. She unlocked and pulled open the drawer of her desk, inside it was a plastic evidence bag with one of the magazines in it, it had been dusted and she was about to look at it when her pager went off.

"_Rae, can you come to the evidence lockers? Steve._" She put the magazine back where she'd got it from and locked the drawer, walked out into the hallway and headed for her partner.

"Hey, I wondered, after I sent that message, did you know where I was, guess you're getting better at finding your way around."

Rae smiled at him, "It used to be meet me behind the bicycle sheds, I guess this is progress." She felt a blush creep up her face and hurriedly continued. "So what have you got?" She could see that the black box was now open on the counter.

"Oh, you'll love this." Steve held up three CD ROMs. "We put the first one in the computer down here, no virus' thankfully, but it's password encrypted! So this could take a while." They tried all the popular password combinations and came up with nothing. This was a job that was going to take time. Unfortunately they didn't have time; they had a stakeout to do.

Ninety minutes later Steve and Rae were sitting in his car watching Ethan Norville's apartment to see who would come for their usual Monday evening entertainment. Rae had just finished speaking to her mother on the phone. She hadn't spoken to her very much since she'd been here, but had been leaving messages on her answer phone whenever she could.

"So, how's your Mom?" Steve asked, he'd got out of the car and wandered up the street while Rae was talking.

"Not too bad, she says, hi, by the way, I decided that this would be another case I couldn't share with her! Hey, Steve, action stations."

Steve turned around to see two men going in to the entrance of Norville's apartment block. He picked up the camera and aimed it at the doorway; Rae got out of the car and followed the two men inside the building. She waited for the elevator and kept her coat wrapped around her. She felt the comforting presence of her gun on her hip and tried to look anywhere, but at the two men standing with her.

The elevator doors opened and one of the men looked her up and down. "What floor, sweetheart?"

"Oh, two, please." She noticed that the man didn't press any other floor buttons. When she walked out she turned slightly away from the men and bent down to do up her shoelace. She watched carefully and saw both men go to Apartment Six. The larger of the two men banged on the door.

"Hey, Ethan, come on man, open up." Rae could hear his fist as it hit the door again. Then she saw him put his hand in his pocket and take out a key. She reached into her own pocket and found her walkie-talkie.

"Steve," she whispered, "They've got a key!"

"OK, I'm on my way up." Steve jumped out of the car and headed for the elevator. He saw the lights indicate that it was on it's way down. 

"Steve, hurry up, do you want me to move down there?"

"No, stay where you are, I'm almost with you." The elevator pinged and he hurried into it. Steve pressed the number two, but the doors seemed to stay open for an age, slowly they closed and he pressed the button again. _I should've taken the stairs! _ The elevator moved upwards and he took his gun out as the doors opened. Rae was waiting half way down the corridor, partially hidden by a fire hose attached to the wall. Steve walked in front of her and they made their way down to Norville's door. Steve knocked and called out "Open up, Police." There was a pause and then a bullet shattered the glass at the top of the door. Steve flattened himself against the wall out of the line of fire, and Rae took up position on the opposite side of the doorway, together they waited. After a few moments Steve moved slowly back towards the entrance, he looked at Rae and mouthed _cover me!_ Then he raised his foot and kicked at the door.

As they waited, with Steve back against the wall the room was quiet. Steve moved slowly out into the doorway and entered the apartment, Rae went silently round so that she could see her partner, but still be out of the line of fire of the men in the room. She hadn't been in this position very often in London, _better start getting used to it girl, Steve needs you to watch his back._  As she saw one man standing with his gun pointing towards her partner she watched a hand move out from the bathroom and point a gun at Steve's neck!

Steve froze, how could he have been so stupid, he had left himself wide open! He felt himself being pulled backwards. A voice spoke in his ear "Drop it, or I drop you!" he let his weapon fall to the floor. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Rae had moved so that the gunmen could see her and heard her call out. "Drop your weapons, now or I'll open fire!" 

The man who was in the main living area aimed right at her, but she was quicker, she felt her gun ricochet in her hand and watched in horror as she saw him fall. She called once again "Drop your weapon, and let my partner go!" But she knew she wasn't in a position to bargain, Steve's safety was all that mattered now.

"No way, cop, you just wasted **my **partner, if you don't want me to do the same I suggest that you put you gun down in front of you and then back off!" The voice floated out from the apartment and it was strong and calm, if the gunman had any nerves he certainly wasn't showing them. Rae did as she was told and moved back, away from her vantage point. Now she couldn't see Steve so clearly, _how did we get into this position? _The man moved forward his gun wedged firmly into Steve's neck. Rae slowly raised her hands so that there was no doubt about the fact that she was unarmed and watched in dismay as the two men passed her. As soon as they had disappeared into the elevator she picked up her gun and raced for the stairs.

Steve walked slowly out of the building, feeling the barrel of the gun pressed tightly against his skin. He knew that Rae would follow them out, but they'd never been in a position like this before, he was certain that Cheryl could cover his back, but Rae? He hoped so. "Which car is yours?" The voice was confident in his ear, he wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"The silver one."

"Of course, typical cop car. Give me the keys, slowly."

The gunman opened the car door. "On your knees, cop!" Steve complied; he knew he had no choice. He saw the butt of the gun move up, cried out as he felt a crashing pain, and then went down.

Rae came quietly out of the building, just in time to see Steve and the gunman move round to the driver's side of his car. She saw the door open and then Steve disappear out of sight.

The car screeched away and Rae shot at the tyres, but he was too fast for her. She saw Steve in a heap on the ground and her heart lodged in her throat. She'd heard him call out, but now he wasn't moving. "Steve!" She ran over to him and felt for a pulse. She breathed a huge sigh of relief as she felt the steady beat under her fingers. She pulled her phone out of her coat and dialled. "This is Detective Reagan Yeager, I need two ambulances, I have an officer down and a gunshot victim." As she started to give the address to the operator, she saw Steve begin to stir. She put a hand on his shoulder. She finished her call and knelt down by his head. "Don't move, Sir, I've called an ambulance, you'll be alright soon." 

It seemed like a lifetime later, but in reality was only about ten minutes, when Rae and Steve were put into the back of the ambulance and on their way to Community General. Rae phoned ahead and told Alex to get Mark. Steve was wheeled through into the ER and the capable hands of Jesse. Mark followed them to the trauma suite and Rae sat down heavily on one of the chairs just outside. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see the friendly and welcome face of Alex looking down at her. "Hey, Rae, he'll be OK, he's conscious in there, its alright." At that moment another gurney was wheeled in. Rae recognised the paramedic from the other ambulance at the scene. Alex walked over to them and Rae heard one of them speak to him.

"No point, Dr. Martin, this one's DOA."

"Oh, my God!" Rae's hand went to her mouth, she suddenly felt very dizzy. Alex was back at her side in an instant. "Alex, I need a bowl, quickly!"

"It's OK, Rae, put your head down for a bit. You'll be fine. Dr. Travis, can you come out here a minute please?" Jesse rushed out from where he had been trying to convince Steve, that he would be admitted, whether he wanted to be or not and saw Rae being sick into a metal bowl that Alex was holding in front of her.

"Rae, honey, he's going to be alright, he has a mild concussion, just like you had a couple of weeks back, it's nothing too serious." Rae looked up at this kind and gentle man that she loved with all her heart. The tears were forming in her eyes.

"Oh, God, Jesse, I just killed a man! I shot him and he's dead! What am I going to do?"

"OK, this is what **we're** going to do. First of all I'm going to admit Steve, whether he likes it or not, and trust me he won't! Mark will stay with him and make sure he goes off to sleep. Then I'll drive you back to my place, make you a hot drink and we can talk about this, does that sound like a plan to you?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Jess." He straightened up and looked across at Alex.

"Stay with her will you? When we move Steve you can take her into the Doctor's Lounge, I won't be long."

"Sure thing, Dr. Travis."

A couple of minutes later Rae saw her partner being wheeled out of the room. She got shakily to her feet, walked over to him and covered his hand with her own. "I'm so sorry, Steve, are you OK? I was so worried about you."

"Rae, I'm fine, I really could go home. Dad?"

"No, son, would you have let Rae go home when she was attacked by Mrs. Tennant? No, of course you wouldn't and we're not letting you go either."

"I guess it'll be me waiting in the corridor tomorrow morning then, I'll see you about nineish. Sleep well," She leant over and kissed him on the forehead. She straightened up and walked back over to where Alex was standing waiting for her.

"Come on, Rae, come and sit down, before you fall down!"

Now that Steve had gone Rae seemed to shrink in on herself. She sat down on the chair just inside the door of the lounge and ran her fingers distractedly through her hair. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. She had always loved being a cop, but it was so hard and fast here, suddenly she wondered if Cheryl was finding it deadly dull in London. "Hey, Rae, wake up, sweetie, and I'll take you home." Jesse was by her side, she hadn't realised that she'd nodded off, but she didn't think it had been for long. She stood up and turned to look at Alex. 

"Thank you, Alex, for being there for me. I owe you a beer the next time we're at Bob's together."

"Hey, no problem, it goes with the white coat and the stethoscope y'know!" He smiled at her, and touched her gently on the shoulder. She'd sure had it rough since she'd arrived. He wasn't sure if he could cope with that much excitement in such a short space of time, "Take care now, I'll see you tomorrow, Dr. Travis."

Rae let Jesse guide her down to his car in the parking lot and she sat motionless all the way home. She gave herself a mental shake as she saw the familiar building where she'd been spending most of her time come into view and was able to smile at Jesse when he opened the car door for her. "Come on, let's get inside and see if we can find enough food to make a reasonably decent meal."

Once Rae got inside the apartment she excused herself and headed for the shower. She let the hot water pound her body for about ten minutes before she turned it onto cold and let that do the same. Then she grabbed a grey pair of tracksuit pants that Jesse had lent her and a baggy top, pulled them on and went back out to where Jesse was hopefully working wonders in the kitchen.

"OK, we have tomato soup, mushroom soup or breakfast cereal! Which would you prefer?" 

"Ooh, decisions, decisions, I'll have the mushroom soup if that's alright. Thanks, Jess." He busied himself putting food into the microwave and getting out cutlery, then he made his way to where Rae was sitting. 

Jesse sat down and looked at Rae as she made herself comfortable on the sofa. He smiled over at her and was relieved when she smiled back. They sat in silence while they ate their light supper. When they'd finished Jesse collected up the two bowls and left them on the kitchen counter. Then he went and sat next to Rae and put his arm around her shoulders. "What was wrong at the hospital, Rae? You said that you killed that guy, but you were just protecting your partner right?" Suddenly Jesse thought he understood. "You killed him, Rae, you've never killed anybody before, am I right?"

The tears were back in Rae's eyes. "I didn't even think about it, Jess. I knew that Steve was in danger, and I just pulled the trigger. Somebody is dead tonight because of me!" She shut her eyes and Jesse felt her shiver.

"Look, was there any other way out of the situation? Why did you need to shoot him to save Steve?"

"Because the other guy had his gun up at the back of Steve's neck. Then after I'd shot his partner he told me to put my gun down and back away. I did and he moved Steve out and down towards the car… I followed as soon as I could, but I wasn't in time… Rae was getting sleepy, she stifled a yawn and then a thought hit her, "Oh, great, I just thought, my bag was still in the car. All my credit cards, your house keys, everything. This night just goes from bad to worse. Jesse, could you phone Mark, I don't think there was anything to show which key belonged where, but just in case." He nodded and went to make his call.

Rae picked up her phone and called the number for the credit card hotline she'd programmed in, and started to give them the details of the cards she'd had stolen. As she finished speaking it rang. "Detective Yeager… Yes, Chief, I'm sorry… I was going to ring you in a minute… No, I can come back in now if you would like… OK, first thing in the morning then, Sir… Yes, Sir… and I'm sorry, Sir… Yes, Goodnight."

Rae collapsed back into the chair. "That was the Chief, wanting to know why I hadn't phoned him, I never gave it a thought, I should have called him when I got to the hospital. Oh, Jesse, let's go to bed, I think I'd like this day to be over as soon as possible." She got up and walked into the bedroom. Jesse turned off all the lights and followed her through. They both undressed in silence and slipped under the covers. Rae snuggled up against him and hoped that she would have an undisturbed night's sleep.

Jesse eased his body gently away from Rae's so that he could rest his arm over her shoulder. She moved slightly and he lay there and watched her as she drifted off to sleep. He knew that he shouldn't have done it, but he felt sure that the sedative he'd put in her soup would keep her in a sound and dreamless sleep until the morning.


	2. Footsteps 1st Tuesday

Rae gains some unwanted attention in this chapter. In my copy of this story I typed those parts in a different font. However, I can't seem to download that, so I have put the day in bold in front of each part of the story that refers to this. I hope this is clear. If not feel free to e-mail me. Thanks. 1st Tuesday 

Rae woke up slowly; she floated in and out of a light sleep a couple of times before she really worked out that she was awake. She looked over, but Jesse was already up and out of the room. She wandered into the living area and saw him sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper.

"Hey, ready for your fifteen minutes of fame, Detective? Even if they didn't mention BBQ Bob's!" He held the paper up and she could see herself grinning inanely out from the page.

"Oh, great! Why couldn't some minor celebrity have chosen yesterday to slap her boyfriend or something, then they would've missed me out altogether. Here, let's have a look, so I know what I'll be in for when I get to work." Rae picked up the paper and saw herself again. 

"You look really happy, I think it's a great photo. I'm going to cut it out and put it on the refrigerator." 

Rae stuck her tongue out at him and looked at the picture again. "I was smiling because you just came in the room, if you remember. So it's your fault that I look like a brainless idiot!"

Jesse put his hand over hers on the paper and sighed. "Why do you have such a low opinion of yourself? It's a great picture, you look beautiful in it, and the whole of L.A. will fall in love with you. Good job I did it first!" 

Rae smiled at him. "Thank you. Oh, look at this headline! I didn't actually say that did I? The Chief is gonna think that I'm trying to get myself fired!" She started to read the article out loud.

**_'British Detective Thinks LA is Violent City. Prefers Peaceful London!_**

**_By Sarah Hutchins _**

**_Picture Phil Levington_**

****

"_Detective Inspector Reagan Yeager is a thirty six year old policewoman from Scotland Yard, England. She has been seconded to the LAPD for twelve months to work with Lieutenant Steve Sloan while his normal partner Detective Cheryl Banks does the Inspector's job in London. _

_The Detective has already been in the thick of things here, working on a child abuse case, which resulted in her being seriously injured by the person later charged with the crimes. Maybe that's why Ms. Yeager feels that our fair city is far more violent than London and why she didn't think it safe to bring her three children with her._

_Ms. Yeager has said that she hopes she will help to increase the successful liaison between two of the best police forces in the world. _

_The Detective also wants to sample some of our wonderful beaches here, and to continue to explore the differences in our languages and cultures. Maybe her new boyfriend Dr. Jesse Travis will be able to help her with that._

_We wish Detective Inspector Yeager all the best while she is in our city. We hope that she takes home only happy memories of the City of Angels._

"Shhh, come here and stop worrying." He turned to her and kissed her gently on the lips. He moved closer as Rae's arms went round him and her tongue moved against his. They kissed passionately and Jesse felt Rae's hands entangle in his hair. He moaned. "Rae, I have to get to work, we can't do this now."

"Steve!" Rae drew back, "I'd forgotten for a moment. I'll just have a quick shower and then we can go." She ran back into the other room and Jesse followed her.

"Rae, wait up." He put his hand on her shoulder, "How did you sleep last night? It seemed quiet to me."

"I slept fine, thank you. In fact, I thought I might've had a problem considering what happened yesterday, but I don't think I even dreamt at all." Jesse looked down at the floor. "Jesse, what is it, do you have something you need to say to me?"

Jesse nodded his head. " I, ah, put a sedative in your meal last night. I wanted you to get a decent night's sleep."

Rae took a step backwards; she had a shocked expression on her face. She took a deep breath and Jesse could see that she was collecting her thoughts. "Jesse, I appreciate why you did that, and I'mgrateful for the sleep, but don't **ever** do that again without telling me first, OK? Otherwise how can I trust you?"

"I'm sorry, Rae, I really did do it for the best of reasons." Jesse looked at her and Rae remembered the face through the glass at Community General when Mark wouldn't examine her with him in the room. 

"Oh, no, you don't, not the puppy dog eyes. You think I'll capitulate don't you? Jesse, I hate the idea of being sedated, and not to know about it, that's even worse." She shuddered. "You, of all people, should know how dangerous it could be. I'm sorry, Jess, but the more I think about it; the less I like it." Rae went into the shower without another word.

By the time Rae and Jesse arrived at the door to Steve's room, just over an hour later, having travelled in, in silence, he was up, dressed and impatiently waiting to be released. Rae sat down in the chair outside the door and waited as her partner had done a couple of weeks previously when it had been her with the concussion. After ten minutes the door opened and Jesse and Steve came out together. Rae realised with a sinking feeling that Steve was carrying a daily paper, but decided to ignore it.

"Well, here she is, the most famous cop in L.A., and waiting just for me!" Steve was rewarded for his sarcasm by Rae sticking her tongue out at him. He had a feeling that she would feel like doing that a lot today.

"Hi, Steve, how are you feeling this morning?" She stood up and put her hand over his. Rae's voice was a little tight, and Steve almost felt sorry for her. _Almost_. 

"Not too bad thank you. Let's go down and see Amanda as we're here and find out what she's got for us on Ethan Norville."

Amanda smiled up at her two friends as they entered the room. "Hi, Steve, are you feeling better?" Amanda saw him nod his head and then she turned to Rae, "I guess you've seen the paper this morning right?"

"Oh, no, not you as well! I think I'll go home and stay in bed until today's paper has become tomorrow's cat litter liner."

"CJ and Dion have a copy each and they're taking it for show and tell today!" Amanda looked at Rae's horrified expression and took pity on her. "Right, Mr. Norville, or what's left of him. I don't really have much more to tell you than what you know already. He was shot at point blank range, with a .44 magnum probably, which is why his brains are no longer a part of him. As I said, nothing of note under his nails, he'd eaten about three to four hours before he was killed, which would be consistent with his line of work. Just breakfast cereal and coffee. I've ordered a full tox screen and bloods. They won't be back until tomorrow though I'm afraid." She paused.

"Anything else, what about the bullet?"

"That was sent over to ballistics from the scene, it was in the wall. They let me know what type of gun they thought it was an hour ago, and it ties in with my findings."

"What about the murder of Kelly Brown? Are there any consistencies?"

"Sorry, Rae, Kelly who?"

"Kelly Brown, a prostitute, she was murdered, um, I'm not sure of the exact date off the top of my head, but know it happened before I arrived here. She was related to Norville, which is why we're on the case instead of Detective Campbell."

"If you let me know the dates, I'll pull the file for you. Something from that far back would have been filed away by now."

"Amanda, what can you tell me about the … the guy that I shot?"

"Oh, Duncan Myer, thirty two year old Caucasian male. Nothing much, it was cut and dried. He took one bullet to the chest and was killed instantly."

"He didn't suffer?"

"No." Amanda's eyes showed concern, but Rae couldn't talk about it any more. She turned away.

Steve's phone started to ring and he took it from his pocket and checked the number. "It's the station, I think that's the Chief's private line." Rae reached over and turned his phone off. "Rae, what are you doing?"

"Sorry, but he phoned me last night at Jesse's.  I was pretty rattled and I didn't follow the proper procedure. I didn't call in from the hospital to let him know how you were, and I've yet to file my report on the shooting."

"Rae! Tell me you're kidding, come on we'd better get into the station and try and sort this out. Amanda, I'll talk to you later." With that Steve strode out of the morgue and Rae followed behind him. She'd got fed up with him racing off without her when they'd first met, but now, she wished that the ground could swallow her up so that she couldn't catch him up and face the music. _For goodness sake, girl, you've never been a coward. You screwed up, face it, get over it and get on!_ She increased her pace and caught up with Steve as the elevator arrived.

As the arrived in the parking lot Steve turned to Rae. "Oh, I've just had a thought, I don't have a car, do I? So I guess we both have to travel in Tom." Rae could tell that he was not impressed with the situation, and she knew what she was about to say would make the matter worse.

"My car's at the precinct. I'll go up and see if I can borrow Jesse's." She headed back to the elevator before her partner could say anything, and returned a couple of minutes later with the keys in her hand. "Jesse is going to get Amanda to run him to the station later and pick up his keys and the car." Steve was silent, she didn't know if he was angrier about the car or her, so she got quietly in and started the engine.

Neither of them spoke until they were back in the squad room and getting ready to face the Chief and his wrath. Steve towered over her as she sat at her desk. His voice was slightly raised, "OK, what gives, Detective? If I can't trust you to follow procedure, on something that's basic training, how can I trust you when the going gets tough?"

"Hey, Rae, saw your picture in the paper, pretty cute!" a voice cut across what Steve was saying.

"Can it, Campbell, or I'll stuff the page down your throat." Rae was blazing now. She'd needed someone to bark at and he got it, full pelt.

Steve turned and opened the door to the interrogation room. "In here, Detective **Inspector**Yeager, right now!" Rae followed him into the room. Her eyes were flashing danger signs. Steve had never seen her in this mood before, and he was having trouble working out what had caused it, however, he was in no mood himself to put up with her attitude. His head hurt and he could really do without seeing his boss right now.

The door to the room opened again quietly. As they were both facing away from it neither of them saw the Chief enter as Steve began to talk. "Right, before we go into see the Chief, I would like to know what the hell you were thinking yesterday? OK, so you didn't phone him, we can get around that, but not to at least report in that you were involved in a shooting. What's the matter with you, Detective? Don't you have to do it this way in **peaceful** London?"

Rae's hands were in tight fists. She brought one down hard on the table. "No, Lieutenant, I've never had to do that in **peaceful** London, because until last night I'd never shot anybody before. That man is dead because of me!" 

Suddenly all the fight went out of her. "Oh, God, Sir, I'm sorry. I shot that guy because I knew you were in danger. Then I had to watch while you were frogmarched out of the flat, down the corridor and attacked in the car park, I shot at the car, but I missed." All the carefully learnt American terms for things disappeared as she tried to get her point across. "Then when I got to the hospital and heard that the guy had died, I don't know, I guess I went into a kind of shock. Jesse took me straight home, and unbeknownst to me, he put a sedative in my dinner, so that I would sleep well. By the time the Chief phoned me, it had started to work. Sir, I'm sorry. Please… help me to put this right. I don't want to let you down again." 

Rae sank down in the chair behind the table and put her head in her hands. As Steve moved over to put a hand on her shoulder he saw the Chief out of the corner of his eye. The Chief put his finger to his lips and left the room. As he did so he raised his other hand and held up five fingers. Steve nodded his understanding and crouched down by his partner.

"Detective, look at me." Rae turned her eyes to face him and was surprised to see that his face was not angry, but etched with concern. "You didn't let me down, in fact you probably saved my life in there last night. There was no way that you could have gotten to me before that guy struck me, and it's not easy to hit a moving target, trust me, I've been trying to do it for years." He smiled and then paused, "You may not want to do this, but why don't you book an appointment to see Dr. Dobson again?" He put his arm around Rae's shoulder, and she rested her head on his chest. She felt safe there, they stayed quietly together for a couple of minutes and then Steve moved slightly.

"I think we'd better go and face the Chief, together, come on." They both got up and moved out of the room. They could see the Chief sitting quietly in his office. Steve picked up a cup of coffee and Rae grabbed a cup of hot water. She put a tea bag in it from her purse and then knocked on her boss' door.

"Come." The voice was not unwelcoming, and Rae took a deep breath and turned the handle.

"Detective, Lieutenant, won't you sit down? How are you feeling this morning?" 

The Chief looked over at Steve, who unconsciously ran his hand through his hair and said, "Not too bad, Sir, a slight headache, but nothing that will cause a problem."

"Good, good. Now, Detective, I think we need to have a talk about protocol, procedure and the differences between London and L.A. don't you? Lieutenant, you can return to your desk now."

Steve went to speak but the Chief held up his hand. "That was not open for discussion."  Steve left the room; he hoped that Rae would be all right. The Chief was a fair man. As long as Rae had regained her temper, he was sure that she would be fine.

"OK, Detective, what do you have to say for yourself? And it had better be good."

Rae, who had no idea the Chief had already heard everything she had to say, started to go through her story again. She was an honest person, it would never occur to her not to tell something as it was, and so the whole tale came out once more. At the end of it she hung her head. She had nothing left to say, or give, and had no idea what the Chief's reaction would be.

"You've had a baptism of fire in our city, haven't you, Reagan?"

Rae looked up; it was the first time that the Chief had called her anything but by her rank or her full title. She was out of words now, and so, she just nodded.

"I want you to go back to your desk and write your report out. The ballistics report should be back any time now. When you've got all the relevant information, I want you to phone Doctor Bentley and get her to fax over her autopsy report. You can then collate the complete package and leave it on my desk. Once you've done that I want you to put your coat on, arrange to meet with your doctor friend, and not come back in here until tomorrow. When you arrive in the morning I want to see the policewoman who was described in her C.V., sent over from Scotland Yard, as, and I quote, 'extremely hard working, conscientious and cool under pressure, with an eye for detail, who has an excellent clear up rate on her cases.' You are dismissed, Detective."

Rae stood, picked up her cup and left the office; she had no idea what to say so she decided that nothing was probably the best bet. She sat at her desk and finished her drink, then she pulled a pad towards her and started to make some notes on it. Steve looked across at her and watched her work for a minute. Then he came over to her.

"Rae, I'm going to go and see if we can break the code and find out what's on those CD's. I'll let you know when I come back up."

"Steve, Sir, the Chief gave me the rest of the day off, once I've finished this. I'm going to go over and see Jesse and book an appointment to see Dr. Dobson at the same time."

"OK, if you're not here when I get back I'll see you at about eleven tomorrow then." He walked away, and Rae saw Detective Campbell coming across the room. She stood up and met him by the coffee machine.

"Detective, I owe you an apology, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, you just said the wrong thing at the wrong time." She held her hand out to the young man, and he took it gratefully.

"That's OK, Detective, we all have bad days." 

Rae returned to her desk, and before she started writing again, she gave Jesse a ring. 

"Dr. Travis… Hey, sweetheart, how's it going? … I'll be finishing in about an hour, I'll be over for my car then and, I'll meet you at home … Oh, OK, I'll check for you in reception on the fifth floor. Bye."

Jesse shook his head. He was a little concerned that Rae felt that she needed to see Dr. Dobson again so soon, but it had been a crazy month since she had arrived here. He walked back towards the ER and looked forward to spending the rest of the afternoon with her. Hopefully they could sort out this morning's problem.

As Rae left the station an hour later she heard a sound behind her, as she looked back she got the impression of someone turning a corner and out of sight, she gave it no more thought and headed for Tom. She'd finished her report exactly as the Chief had requested. Now the rest of the day was hers, and she needed it to regroup so that she could face tomorrow as the organised and efficient person she usually tried to be.

**Tuesday **I watched as Rae, whose beautiful smiling face had been in the paper, came out of the police station and headed for her car, a red beetle, and she smiled as she got in it. I guess she likes that car. My car isn't as nice as hers, but it does me. I followed behind her as she made her way to Community General Hospital, I don't know why she was going there, probably to meet with her boyfriend, but I wanted to see what she did with her days, so I just stayed out of sight and enjoyed watching her.

Rae saw Jesse talking to the Receptionist on floor five as she got out of the elevator. Another person had travelled up with her, but he'd had his head in the newspaper. Rae'd kept her back to him for the entire journey, in case he was reading the page she was on.

"Hey, sweetie, are you ok?" Jesse came over and placed a gentle kiss on Rae's lips, and she ran her hand down the side of his face.

"Yeah, I'll fill you in later, ok?" She turned to the nurse at the desk. "Hi, I'm Detective Reagan Yeager, is Dr. Dobson in today, or can I book an appointment to see him?" 

"He's fully booked today, but I can arrange something with him tomorrow if you'd like." Rae took a piece of paper out of her pocket. 

"I had my diary stolen yesterday, but I've taken a note of my shifts. I don't have to be in until eleven tomorrow, could I see him before that do you think?"

The nurse checked the book, "He has an appointment at eight thirty would that suit you?" Rae nodded and saw her name being written into the book. She turned back to Jesse and smiled at him.

"Are you finished now? Can we head out of here?" 

Jesse nodded his head and took her hand. "Sure thing. You know after I pick up my car I think we'd better head for the supermarket, unless you do want to have breakfast cereal for dinner tonight!" 

The nurse behind the desk smiled at them, and they headed for the elevator. The man was still reading his paper, and they took no notice of him. The nurse looked over at him and raised an enquiring eyebrow. "Can I help you, Sir?"

He shook his head and pressed the elevator button.

**Tuesday **I saw her with her boyfriend. The doctor, I've seen him at the station. She's going to be in the hospital just before eight thirty tomorrow, I had my little camera with me; I want to get some pictures of her to go with the one in the paper.

Jesse had parked the car. He turned to Rae. "Honey, I'm so sorry about what I did. It was only because I love you, Rae. I would never hurt you."

"I know, Jess. Let's let it go, ok? There was no harm done. Just don't ever do it again."

"I won't, I promise."

Jesse was pushing the trolley cart while Rae looked at all the things on the shelves. So far they'd got bread, milk and washing powder. Not exactly the ingredients for a meal fit for a king, but neither of them seemed to know what they wanted for dinner. Rae suddenly smiled. "I tell you what, I'll cook you a lasagne, would you like that? I'm a Cancerian, I like to cook."

"Ok, that would be good, let's go and find the ingredients we need for that." Slowly the trolley cart filled up with items. Once they had made up their minds what they wanted for their evening meal other things just seemed to follow. They appeared to like different things. Jesse wanted orange juice, Rae wanted cranberry. Jesse bought expensive coffee, Rae herbal tea bags. She put some mineral water into the trolley and headed off to get the yoghurt drink that she had in the mornings. Jesse pulled a face. "Oh, yuk, you don't actually like that stuff do you?"

"Yes, I used to have it every morning in England, right, I think I've got everything, how about you?"

Jesse looked at the trolley, "Nope, I can't think of anything else. I guess we'd better go and pay for this."

"Ah, Jesse, can you pay for all of it, until I get my replacement cards? I'll pay you back for half of this, I promise."

"Rae, it's not a problem, ok? I'm happy to pay for it, but if you really want you can just pay next time." He smiled across at her; he liked her honesty and her sense of fairness. It was refreshing in such a cynical world.

Three quarters of an hour later Rae was putting the stuff away in the cupboards and the refrigerator while Jesse was chatting with his next-door neighbour. She could hear them talking animatedly in the hallway and she smiled to herself. Jesse always sounded so enthusiastic about everything; she just loved to be with him.

He came back into the room a grin spread from ear to ear. "Hey, did you do anything about finding somewhere to live yet?"

"No, why, do you want me to leave?" Rae wasn't sure why he was asking her, so she decided to take the worst option.

"No! No! But I was just talking to Miss Diego from next door and she's moving out to get married and go live with her new husband. Her apartment will be empty from this weekend."

The smile on Jesse's face spread to Rae's. "Oh, Jess, that would be perfect! Who would I have to see about taking over the lease?"

"Probably her, she's a lawyer!"

Rae thought about the advantages of living next door to Jesse as she started to prepare the tea. She loved making lasagne, as long as the white sauce didn't go lumpy. She was normally okay with sauces and this time she was extra careful. As she grated the cheese onto the top, she thought to herself that she had done a pretty good job. She opened the oven door, felt the heat hit her in the face and then placed the dish on the middle shelf.

"It'll be about forty-five minutes, is that ok?"

Jesse was sitting at the table, reading a medical journal. He looked up. "It'll be fine. Listen, why don't we go next door so that you can look around and see what you think. We'll also need to know what furniture you'll have to buy. These are unfurnished rentals."

"Yeah, I thought they would be. Still that's not a problem, it'll be fun to go and do some shopping together, don't you think?"

"Oh, great, I just love shopping! You did notice the sarcasm there right?" 

Rae smiled at him and waited by the door while he got up and put his magazine back in the rack. Then they left the room and went next door.

"Oh, hi, Miss Diego, would you mind if my girlfriend took a look at your apartment? I was right, she would like to move here if she has the chance."

The apartment was the mirror of Jesse's; it was painted white and was crammed from wall to wall with ornaments, rosaries, crucifixes and a seemingly endless supply of little elephants! 

"I won't be able to leave anything I'm afraid. Jesse, he told me that you are here for a year, wouldn't it be cheaper if you just moved in with him?"

Rae blushed and smiled, "Yes, it probably would be, but I think it's a bit early for that. Besides I want my independence. This would be great; if we could get everything sorted out easily, I would be happy to move in as soon as you have moved out. Jesse tells me that you're a lawyer, so could I leave it to you to get the paperwork drawn up? I know you're busy with your wedding coming up, but at least this would be off your mind then."

"I know I'm moving out as soon as I can, but it's a month until my wedding. I'll be pleased to have the papers drawn up, then we can sign them and you can have the keys by the end of the week. I hope you'll be as happy here as I've been, at least you know you'll have no trouble from your neighbor! As this is the last apartment on this block Jesse's home is the only one you're joined to." Miss Diego held her hand out to Rae and she shook it.

"Thank you, Miss Diego, I hope that your new life is happy for you also." Jesse and Rae talked for a while with their soon to be ex-neighbour until Rae suddenly heard a beeping sound. "Oh, our dinner's ready, I can hear the buzzer going. Excuse me." She left Jesse to make his goodbyes and went back into his kitchen. The smell was wonderful; she opened the oven door and was greeted by a golden bubbling dinner, which looked just as she had planned it. She dished up two platefuls and then put them back into the oven. She set the table, got a beer and a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, put them next to the placemats, and waited for Jesse to return. 

She didn't have to wait for long, and soon they were chatting and eating their evening meal and Rae felt some of the tension of the day finally leave her. She looked over at Jesse as he ate the last mouthful of his meal and put his cutlery down. "Oh, wow, you can cook that again any time you like, it was wonderful. Is there any more?"

"There is, but if you don't eat it now, we can have it tomorrow with a salad and jacket potatoes."

"Ok, does the fact that you cooked mean that I have to wash up?"

"No, we'll do it together. Come on, it won't take long, we don't have to do the big dish so it's only these plates, the saucepan and the frying pan, it'll be over in five minutes."

Rae was true to her word, and soon they were snuggled up together on the sofa. Jesse turned to Rae and began to slowly kiss her lips. She responded to him and felt his tongue go deep into her mouth. She began to undo her jeans and then his, Jesse moved his hands down and pushed them off his body and Rae did the same, they parted just long enough to remove their tops and then they were kissing each other again. "Mmm, Jesse, there isn't really enough room here,"

"I want to do this to you here, Rae, not on the bed," he pulled her towards him once again, and then he gently slid them off the sofa onto the floor. Rae could feel his hardness against her and his lips as they moved up and kissed her eyelids. She moaned as he licked and played with the skin behind her ear and then she felt his fingers moving gently down in between her legs and into her warm and welcoming wet hole. 

"Ooh, Jesse, you know how much I love that, do it some more, please," her voice was soft and seductive, it made Jesse pull her even closer to him. He ran his other hand over one of her breasts and played with the area around the nipple without ever touching it. Soon she was squirming under his touch. He moved his fingers faster inside her until she was lifting her body up towards him and he could feel her muscles tightening around him. He pulled himself gently free and began to play with the actual nipples on her breasts. He saw her arch her back and her moans got louder and stronger. "Oh, Jesse, now, I need you now."

Jesse's voice was deep and throaty. "We'll have to change places, Rae, you get on top of me this time." He moved away from her and she got up off the floor, he lay down and held his arms out to her. She positioned herself over him and he heard her gasp as she took his hard length into her body. For the first time, it was Rae who was in control, and she moved gently at first, but slowly the rhythm got faster and stronger and he felt himself building up to a climax. "Oh, God, Rae, keep it going, don't stop, that's wonderful," he couldn't say anything more. He tried to keep his body going with her and suddenly he knew that he was about to explode, "Now, Rae, now!" He felt her body tighten around him and moments after he had shot all he had into her, he felt her juices on him. 

Her face and body were glistening as she gently moved and lay down on the floor next to him. She turned and kissed him hungrily once more; she put her hand through the hair at the back of his head and wrapped one of her legs around his. After a minute or so she pulled away from him, and he could see tears in her eyes. "Rae, honey, what's wrong, I didn't hurt you did I?" Jesse sat up, the passion and excitement forgotten. She shook her head, got up, turned from him and headed for the bedroom.

Jesse was getting very concerned about her; her emotions seemed to be on a roller coaster. Five minutes ago she'd been in the throes of passion, and now she was in the other room on her own, seemingly unable to tell him what the matter was. He went into the room and saw her sitting, naked, on the side of the bed. He sat next to her and waited for her to speak.

She turned to look at him and he saw a pair of sad and troubled eyes. "I'm sorry, Jesse, I'm having trouble getting my feelings sorted out at the moment. That's why I want to go see Dr. Dobson. I've had the kind of month that would try the patience of a saint, and heaven knows, I'm no saint. I just need to talk to somebody who doesn't care about me the way you or Steve does. I'm not trying to shut you out, I just don't understand it all myself yet. When I do, I promise you'll be the first person I share it with."

Jesse took her hand in his. "Rae, you know I'm here for you no matter what, we weathered the last storm together, we'll just take each day as it comes. You have come to a violent city, joined a department that deals with the most brutal of crimes and you expect to come through it all with a smile on your face. Well life isn't like that. You go and see Dr. Dobson, if and when you're ready to share it, I'll be here ready to listen. Is that ok?"

"It's more than I could hope for, I love you, Jesse Travis, with every piece of me."

"Well, on that happy note, I think it's time for the ER doctor and the most famous cop in L.A. to call it a day!" Rae stuck her tongue out at him, and slid into bed. Jesse lay beside her and looked over at her. "Hey, you didn't poison the dinner to get me back for the sedative, did you?"

"No more than I usually do! Goodnight, Doctor."

"Goodnight, Detective." They kissed each other gently on the lips and snuggled up together. Jesse smiled to himself; he had a feeling he was going to like it when he knew she was only the other side of the wall. He shut his eyes and soon they both drifted off to the land of their dreams.


	3. Footsteps 1st Wednesday

In my copy of this story I typed the comments of Rae's 'admirer' in a different font. However, I can't seem to download that, so I have put the day in bold in front of each part of the story that refers to this. I hope this is clear. If not feel free to e-mail me. Thanks. 1st Wednesday 

Rae was up and about by seven in the morning, her dreams had been… weird… she decided – but at least she hadn't woken up, she'd had a pleasant afternoon, and now had the opportunity to make plans for the future with Jesse, that was probably why she'd slept better. She headed for the shower, smiling over her shoulder at his sleeping form. She'd told him before that he looked like a twelve-year-old when he was asleep, and she was still of that opinion. 

She looked at herself in the mirror as she entered the bathroom, she needed to find a hairdresser, she would check with Amanda while she was in the hospital this morning. As she let the water wash over her she began to think about the day ahead. She would see Dr. Dobson this morning, then she could go into the precinct and look over the information on Kelly Brown. A lot had happened since the last time she'd read that file. She got out of the shower and did a few stretching exercises before she went back into the bedroom to get dressed and do her hair. _It definitely needs a cut if you have to think about getting it dry! _Rae'd had her hair short for as long as she could remember, as long as she'd had children anyway. It was much easier to just shove the shower over it each morning than to have to faff about. Now she couldn't imagine ever having it long.

She looked at her clothes; she seemed to live in jeans and t-shirts these days. However, as she didn't really have any other type of clothes in her wardrobe, it was hardly surprising. She pulled out a clean pair of jeans, grabbed a red t-shirt from the shelf, and then wandered out towards the kitchen. Jesse was still fast asleep. He wasn't due at the hospital until one, and there was no reason why he need accompany her, so she quietly grabbed an apple and her yoghurt drink, picked up her car keys and headed for the door. Then she stopped, grabbed a piece of paper and wrote a note for Jesse.

"_Hi sweetheart,_

_I've gone for my appointment with Dr. Dobson, I'll see you this evening, I'm going to go straight into work from the hospital._

_I love you, Jess,_

_Rae_

_XXXXX_

She climbed into her little car and headed out into the traffic. This time she seemed to be ahead of the worst of the jams, although she knew that she would probably catch them once her appointment was over. When she got to Community General she waved at the security guard and headed for the doctor's parking lot. She checked her watch, it was eight fifteen, she got into the elevator and headed up to the fifth floor.

As the doors opened she saw the nurse from the day before. "Good morning, Detective, Dr. Dobson is waiting for you, so if you're ready you can go in now." Rae smiled at her and headed for his private office.

"Detective Inspector Yeager, it's a pleasure to see you again." The doctor held out his hand and Rae smiled as she shook it.

"I hoped that I wouldn't need to come back. Nothing personal you understand, but somehow this feels a bit like a cop out – if you'll excuse the expression!" She smiled as she realised what she'd said.

"Maybe you'd better tell me why you feel that you need to be here then, Detective."

She could see that he had her notes out from the last time she'd seen him. That had been the Friday before she was due back to work, only five days previously, and they'd chatted pleasantly for the hour of her appointment about what had happened and how she thought she would cope in the future. She'd really thought, at the time, that once she'd got back to work her life would get back to some sort of normality. She knew that the crimes of Leticia Howard had been unusual, that they'd dealt with an evil woman who showed no remorse for what she'd done. She also knew the personal association she'd felt with the first victim had influenced how the case had been resolved.

"When I left you last week, I hoped I would be able to go back to work, and ease myself back into a case, any case. Let's face it nothing could be as bad as what I'd already been through, or so I thought."

"So, why are you here then?"

"Because, I may be ready to go back to work, but I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet. I want to work, in fact, I need to work, but at the end of the day I still feel that there's a chance I may unravel!"

"OK, let's go over a few things shall we? You were very nearly killed by a woman who'd already strangled two young children, one of whom bore a startling resemblance to your own daughter. When you regained consciousness it took until the next morning for you to remember what had happened to you, and although you now know amnesia is a common side effect of this type of attack, I get the feeling that still worries you."

Rae nodded in agreement, she was beginning to realise that she was going to be feeling the effects of her injury a good deal longer than she'd imagined.

"I would think that by now you've looked up some of the possible side effects of strangulation, and will know that they include a propensity for restlessness and possibly violence. Do you feel this is so in your case, since you've been back at work?" 

Rae took a deep breath; she knew that she needed to talk to this man, because she trusted him to help her. But she'd never found it easy to talk about herself, she would much rather keep her feelings in. However, she knew that if she carried on doing that, these meetings would become compulsory.

"I wanted to go back to work, I did realise that I needed the two weeks off, but I thought that once I was back in the saddle…" she tailed off, she knew she was repeating herself, in an attempt to keep her problems at bay.  She took a very deep breath, "I killed a man on Monday, I shot him. I'd never done that before."

"You have a very violent profession, Detective. Why did you kill this man, was he a threat to you?"

"Yes, to me and to Steve, sorry, my partner, Lieutenant Sloan." She looked over to the Doctor.

"I know who your partner is, Detective, please carry on." 

"He had his weapon pointed at me. I was in his direct line of fire, and his associate had his gun held at Steve's neck." 

Rae paused and looked over at Dr. Dobson, he knew that she wanted him to speak, but he had no intention of doing so. He watched her intently making careful mental note of her body language. She'd crossed her arms and was trying to hide her feelings behind them. 

Rae took another deep breath, she'd talked about this to Jesse and Steve, but not in detail, all she'd done was go through the motions. She knew she wouldn't get away with that this time.

"I saw him aim his gun at me … I'd had training for this in London, and I'd gone through a serious refresher course before I came out here, but … I'd never been confronted in anger before … I knew that I had to shoot him… or be shot myself. I didn't think that I'd kill him … it didn't enter my head. He went down, and I tried to get the other assailant…"

The Doctor cut across her, "This is not a police report, Detective, it's how you felt. I don't need the jargonise. I need your own words."

"I tried to get the other man to drop his weapon, but I had no bargaining power," she saw Dr. Dobson shake his head at her, "Ok… I was helpless… I'd shot somebody and still Steve had a gun to the back of his head!" She felt the tears start to run down her face, and for once in her life she didn't try to stop them, "I felt vulnerable… he was my partner… and I could do nothing… for him." Her words were coming in gulps and gasps now, but she knew if she stopped she would be unable to start again. "Then he told me to drop my weapon… and I did. What is it they say on Star Trek…? Resistance is Futile! There was… nothing I could do… Nothing!" She ran her fingers roughly through her hair. The tears were coming strong and fast now, and she couldn't speak. She stood up and her chair fell backwards. She wanted to leave, to run away from this situation, she was helpless again. Suddenly she knew what part of the problem was, she wasn't in control of her situation, and she didn't like it. The realisation enabled her to pull herself together gradually until she was in control enough to carry on speaking, but she didn't sit down. Dr. Dobson came round to her, picked up the chair and gently eased her back into it. 

"He… he made Steve walk down the hallway, and once they got in the elevator, I picked up my gun and headed for the ground. But there was still nothing I could do… and then I … I heard Steve cry out… his car screeched away… I tried to shoot out the tyres, but I was too slow. She started to sob again as she relived the moment when she'd thought that Steve was dead. She knew that it had taken her no time at all to get to him, but to her it had seemed like a lifetime. "Once I got to him I knew that he wasn't dead. I knew he hadn't been shot, but I guess I was so ... so scared I wasn't thinking straight.  I got an ambulance for him and one for the guy upstairs." She stopped again. She was getting to the other difficult bit now, and she wanted to stop. To her immense relief Dr. Dobson got out of his chair once more and came towards her.

"Rae," she looked at him. He didn't usually call her by her Christian name, and she was surprised by it. She wiped at the tears on her face, but she couldn't stop them from falling. "I think that's enough for today. Look at me, and listen very carefully to what I am about to say." She nodded at him. "Do you want to go into work today? Now, right this moment, how do you feel when I ask you that?"

"Yes, doctor, I do want to go in." Rae knew what he meant, he had taught her before that she would know what she could and couldn't do. "I can do this, but ... I'm going to need your help. Please ... can I come back again ... soon?" She caught her breath, and started to get herself under control. 

About five minutes later Dr. Dobson looked over at where Rae was standing, looking out of the window. "Let's go out and check with my secretary to see when you can come in again." They walked out together, and Rae smiled over at the woman behind the desk. "What times do you have that we can book Detective Yeager in for, Helen?"

Rae put her hand in her pocket and took the piece of paper out that was serving as her diary. "Sorry about this, but my purse was in Steve's car when it was taken. I can only drive my car because the spare set of keys was at Jesse's. I'm starting at eleven today, in fact every day this week, and into next. I'm off all day next Tuesday – at the moment!"

It was arranged that Rae would come in at eight thirty for the rest of the week, and Monday, she would have a free day on the Tuesday, and then her shift pattern changed. They decided to deal with that on Monday. Rae realised that there may be other times when she might need to see him, and so she asked for, and got, a card with his weekend number on it. Rae resolved not to use it, but she put it in her pocket with her 'diary'.

She was surprised to see that it was almost ten already. She shook hands with the Doctor, and then, to her own surprise as well as his, she imagined, she put her hand on his arm and said, "Thank you, I think that with your help I may just get my life back together enough to enjoy it as I should."

She got back into the elevator, and headed for the parking lot. It was busy in the main reception area, and she felt someone jostle against her as she walked through. She turned and smiled, an apology on her lips, but she couldn't see who it had been. She shrugged, and carried on her way.

**Wednesday** I waited for her for ages in the hospital this morning. I got there at twenty past eight, but I must have missed her. When she came back down I managed to take a couple of pictures of her, and still get right close to her. She touched me as she passed, then she smiled at me, and walked on. She has a beautiful smile; I watched her walk out to her car. She parks in the doctor's lot, because of that boyfriend of hers I suppose.  I waited for her to leave, and then I followed her to the station.

Rae arrived at the station house in plenty of time for her shift. She could see Steve's jacket on the back of his chair, so she knew he was about somewhere. She walked over to her desk, and went to sit down, then changed her mind, and headed for the Chief's office. She tapped on the door, and waited. "Come." She opened the door, and was waved inside. "Good morning, Detective, I saw you come in, how are you feeling this morning?"

"I've felt better, Sir, but I'm confident that I'll be able to do my job to the best of my ability. I just wanted to tell you that I've decided to go back and see Dr. Dobson again for a while. I felt that I should keep you informed."

"It isn't necessary, but I thank you anyway. Your report on the shooting incident on Monday evening was as I expected it to be. I can see no problems with it. I hope that you can put the episode behind you now, and carry on with your current assignment, using all those qualities we talked about yesterday. You are dismissed, Detective."

Rae went back out into the squad room, and this time she did sit at her desk. She got the note pad that she had been using on Monday out of the drawer, and skimmed what she'd written. Then she went to the filing cabinet, and got out the papers on Kelly Brown. She'd also been shot to death, but not in quite the same way as Ethan Norville, perhaps there was no link between them. The weapons used were different. Maybe they **were** two separate cases, coincidences did happen after all. She looked at the photograph of the young woman; she'd been twenty-four years old. She had her dark hair in lots and lots of small braids. In death her face had an innocence that Rae doubted, given her profession, had been there in life. She shook her head, what a waste. 

So far, if the cases were linked, they had Kelly Brown, Ethan Norville, and Duncan Myer all somehow tied together. She had no doubt that if there was a connection they would find it. Rae realised that she was getting more relaxed as she worked. Once again she was able to concentrate and work in the way she was used to. She opened her drawer, and took out the magazine that she'd been about to look at the other day. She removed it from its plastic exhibit bag, and took a breath. 

She wasn't a prude, or at least she didn't think she was, but she'd never felt the need to buy pornographic literature. She had a feeling that this magazine was different from the ones you could buy back home from the top shelf of the newsagents, so she took another breath, and prepared to be educated.

By the time she was on page four she needed a cup of tea. She put the magazine back in the drawer went over and poured herself a cup of boiling water. She put a tea bag into it, and returned to her desk. She opened the magazine again, and as she turned the page she came face-to-face, _well, maybe not **face** to face_, but she was definitely looking at Kelly Brown. She turned the page and found that Ms Brown was actually featured very heavily. She looked at the photographs closely, trying to see if there was the name of a photographer on them. She couldn't see one so she rummaged around in the drawer until she came upon a magnifying glass. Then she turned her attention to the pictures once more.

"Good grief, Detective, surely you don't need a magnifying glass to look at them!" She looked up to see Martin Robertson smiling at her from the other side of the desk. He had a potted plant in his hand, which he shyly handed to her. "I grow these as a hobby. I thought, since you liked the flowers, you might like this, too."

"Why, thank you, Martin, how kind of you. Ah, you will still speak to me if I kill it, won't you?"

The young officer blushed, and nodded. "What are you looking for anyway?"

"The photographer's name. But I can't see it. Mind you, if I'd taken these, I'm not sure I'd want anybody to know."

"Try the front of the book, sometimes all the credits are listed there." Rae turned back to the editorial page, and saw a list on the left hand side of the page. She ran her finger down it until she got to photographers. There were six names.

"And you know this how?" Rae looked up and saw the young officer blush a deep shade of crimson. "Lighten up, Martin, it was a joke ok? Right, phone books, phone books." Martin directed her to where she had to go, and made a hurried exit from the room.  She got up, went over to where they were stacked, and picked up the ones she needed.

She picked up the phone, and started to dial, she stopped, and put the phone back down again. Instead of dialing the numbers she began to take a note of the addresses of each one. She'd suddenly decided that it would be better to confront these people face to face. She looked up at the clock. It was five to eleven. As she drained the remainder of her cold tea, she saw Steve coming into the room. 

He walked over to her, and perched on the side of her desk. He put his hand on her shoulder, and smiled down at her. Her heart leapt, _why is this man still single?_ "Hey, partner, how're you this morning?"

She knew what he was actually asking, and smiled back up at him. "Better, Sir, I talked with Dr. Dobson this morning, I've made appointments for the next few days at eight thirty in the morning. I know that I need to still see him, and probably will do for quite a while." Putting her hand over his, she smiled up at him. "Thank you, Steve."

"So, I don't suppose you've done any work yet this morning, Detective?" He moved over towards the coffee machine as he spoke.

"Yes, I have! I've found the connection between Kelly Brown and Ethan Norville, so ner ner de ner ner!"

"I beg your pardon?" Steve's face was a picture. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard, but he was thrilled to hear her joke with him.

"Oh, sorry, I don't quite know what came over me then!" She cleared her throat "Let me start again. I've found the connection between Kelly Brown and Ethan Norville."

"Good work! So spill, what is it?" Rae held up the magazine, and Steve did a double take. "Man, she was a confident girl wasn't she?"

"Steve! I've taken a note of the six photographers who took the pictures in this edition, and I thought that we should go and see them, that's if you don't have anything else planned for this morning. I'm not sure about your obscenity laws, but this magazine would not be on general sale in the UK."

"Oh, trust me, you wouldn't be able to buy them here either. Well, obviously you can, but you **shouldn't **be able to. The way I understand it, you can own this magazine, so Ethan Norville wasn't doing anything wrong by having his own copies under the bed, but you can't distribute them."

"Right, I understand. Let's look at these addresses and work out our plan of attack."

Rae sat looking at a map of the area, trying to decide which was the best way to make out the list of photographers so that they didn't keep backtracking. All of the addresses were out of their area, but there was no way they were going to get another division involved. They would do this, just the two of them. 

Steve was looking through the magazines, to see if Kelly Brown had appeared in any of the others. There had been twenty-nine of them, but issue three was missing, He looked over at Rae, "You know, she isn't in all of these magazines, but she gets at least a mention in eighteen of them so far. I wonder if there is any way to cut down on the number of photographers we have to visit. You know by a process of elimination of the names."

Rae looked at him and ran her fingers through her hair. "I was never very good at logic questions when something depended on it. Useless information, I've got a ton of it, but sometimes life's too short to be logical. Ok, let me think, find a magazine that she isn't in, and see if any of the six guys are missing from the list, that would help wouldn't it?"

Steve just looked at her. "Now you've started to explain it to me, I've lost my thread. Let's just go out and see what happens – I'll drive by the way, I have a new car!"

"Did they find your old one yet? Only I left my life under the front seat!" She saw Steve shake his head, so she picked up the sheet of paper off her desk and Steve put the magazines back into a neat pile.

"I'll take these down to the evidence locker and meet you in the parking lot." Rae raised her hand in acknowledgement and headed for the door.

The evidence locker was extremely busy when Steve got there, he paged a message through to Rae to tell her he would be about five minutes, then found himself a bench to sit on, and shut his eyes for a moment.

Rae heard her pager bleeping, and checked the message. She didn't mind, the sun was warm on her body. She could do with five minutes to just soak up the rays, and work out what questions she was going to ask the photographers, that is if they'd any intention of talking. She had a feeling that if she took those type of photos she wouldn't want to talk to the cops. Slowly she smiled; an idea was forming in her mind.

After more like about ten minutes, Steve came out and joined her by his new blue car. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to give it back when the silver one was found, _if it ever is,_ it was much nicer than that one'd been. He looked over at his partner; she was almost bouncing up and down on the spot. "OK, Detective, give, you've obviously got something to say, you can't keep still."

"I'll tell you when we're moving, but I've had a great idea." Steve was so pleased to see her animated, and enjoying her job again after their blow up yesterday that he leant over, and kissed her gently on the cheek, before getting into the car. Neither of them realised that they were being watched.

**Wednesday **Rae stood out in the parking lot this afternoon, next to a blue car. She had a secret smile on her face. I still had my little camera, and I got a few more shots of her. I think she was enjoying the sun, then her partner came out. She seemed real pleased to see him, and he was obviously pleased to see her, because he kissed her. She sure has a lot of admirers, but I guess that's understandable.

"Ok, Rae, what's this brilliant idea?" He looked over at her as she started to explain the idea she'd had. Slowly he started to smile, he understood her reasoning, and knew they needed this sort of plan, besides, it would be kind of fun to do. They arrived at their first port of call, Fantasy Fotos about thirty minutes later. Rae had done a little bit of shopping on the way over. She was now dressed in a very skimpy off the shoulder t-shirt, and a pair of jeans that she had a feeling she would have to cut herself out of. Her 'hair' was tumbling down her back in strawberry blonde curls, and the shoes she was wearing meant that she could only walk with little steps, but it seemed to add to the picture of bimbo.

"Ok, partner, let's do it." Steve smiled at her, and put his hand on her butt. She stuck her tongue out at him and put a piece of gum in her mouth.

"Right, sugar let's ride!"

The photographers could, at best, be described as seedy. As they entered they could see photos of girls, in various states of undress, all over the walls. There was nothing on show that could get the owner into trouble, but Steve had no doubt that there were other types of picture readily available. There was a large gold coloured bell on the counter, he brought the palm of his hand down on it, and called out, "Hey, is anybody here?"

A small, dark haired man with an extremely thin cigarette hanging out of his mouth came out of the back room, Steve saw his eyes run up and down Rae's now clearly defined figure. "Yep!"

Steve leant on the counter, "I hear you take real good pictures. My lady friend here wants her picture taken for her birthday, ain't that right, Sheree?" 

Rae giggled, and wiggled her way closer to the counter. "He's so good to me, last week he bought me this bracelet, 'cause it was my friend's birthday." Rae held up a gold bracelet draped arm _well a gold **coloured** bracelet draped arm!_

"Go sit down, honey, I need to talk to the man." Rae turned away from him, and felt Steve slap her backside as she wobbled away. He leant conspiratorially across the counter. "I heard that you do all sorts of photos here, for a price. Girl I used to know, before Sheree, Kelly, said you took some artistic pictures of her, if you know what I mean!"

The man behind the counter opened the doorway through to the back room. "Maybe we should talk about this somewhere more private."

"Sheree, darlin', go wait in the car, I'll be out in a minute, honey!" Rae got to her feet, and made her way back outside. When she passed him, Steve grabbed her by the arm, and kissed her on the lips. As she went through the door, she looked back over her shoulder to see Steve and the owner of the shop talking and laughing together. She shivered, she knew this was an act, but she still felt used and dirty. She got back in the car, took the shoes off, undid the button on her jeans, and waited. 

"Right, Rae, let's go." Steve got back in the car, and put a piece of paper in her lap. He, too, had been shopping before they started this. Gone was the turtleneck sweater he'd been wearing. He now had on a blue shirt, which was undone, halfway down his chest. He had a large, heavy looking gold chain around his neck, and an identity bracelet on his left wrist, _just so I don't forget my name!_ Rae picked up the piece of paper and looked at it.

"Good grief, it's not cheap to be photographed looking cheap, is it!"  The piece of paper was plain, so she wrote Fantasy Fotos on a post it note and stuck it to the top, then she put it into the bag that lived behind her seat. "So, did he know Kelly Brown?"

Steve shook his head, "Nope, sorry, sugar, but we're going to have to do this again!" Rae shuddered.

Two hours later, they had visited four of the six photo shops. Rae had gotten used to the way Steve was treating her, but she couldn't believe how the owners of these shops had decided that she was easy prey, just because of the way she looked. She'd been pinched, slapped, and undressed with the sleazeball's eyes in each place they'd been. She was beginning to go off this brilliant idea she'd had.

"Ok, here's Perfect Pics, are you ready to rock?"

"No, not really, but at least there's only one more left after this. So I guess it's almost over. I tell you, I really need a shower!" She slipped her white shoes back on, and did up her trousers. She couldn't actually sit in the car with them done up, they cut off the circulation, and made her feel extremely sick.

As they opened the door to Perfect Pics a bell went off above them. Rae looked around the room, and knew that she would only be doing this one last time. There on the wall was a very large photo of Kelly. Steve spotted it, and went towards the counter.

"Can I help you?" For the first time, the person behind the counter was a woman. About forty, she had long blonde hair, which was pulled high on her head and then cascaded, down her back. This time it was Steve who was undressed with the eyes of the owner, he smiled at her, and began to talk.

"I sure hope so, darlin', my baby here wants to have her photo took, and I would like you to do that little thing for me!" He leant over, and put his hand over hers, hoping it wouldn't result in a black eye. She pulled her hand away, and called out.

"Lloyd, person out here wants some pictures taken." The way she said person made it sound like an insult. Steve hoped he hadn't blown it.

A man came into the store. He was a little taller than Steve, and had his hair in the same type of braids as Kelly in the picture Rae had seen in her file. He looked at Steve, and then he, too, looked Rae up and down. "What kind of pictures?"

Rae wiggled, and moved towards the counter. "He's so sweet, he said he would have some real nice pictures taken of me for my birthday, ones I could send to my mama back home, didn't you, sugar?"

"Go sit down, darlin', let me talk to the man." Once again Steve put his hand on Rae's backside, and gave her a gentle push. Then he turned, winked at the man, and leant in towards him. "Now, Lloyd, another lady friend of mine, Kelly, said that you took some very tasteful pictures of her, if you know what I mean. I see that one up there on your wall, but she said that you took some that, well, let's just say that my Sheree wouldn't be able to send **them** to her mama!" 

Lloyd looked over at Rae. He walked out from behind the counter, and Steve could see that he was armed. Rae looked at him, and smiled. She stood up, and walked over to him, "D'you like what you see, darlin'?" She shuddered inwardly, she couldn't believe that she was talking like this; **_my _**_mama would curl up and die_. She sidled up to him, and then walked very slowly over to Steve. She put her arms around him, and looked back at the other man.

"Get rid of your girl, and we'll talk!" Lloyd walked back around the counter, and called out, "Marlene, get me something to drink up here now!" Steve untangled himself from Rae's arms, kissed her again, and sent her on her way, with another smack on the butt. She smiled in what she hoped was a provocative way, and headed, once again, back to the safety of the car.

Once she was locked inside it, she breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped that Steve would be all right in there; she too had seen the piece the man was carrying. She had her gun, now that she was back in the car, but in this outfit there had been no place to fit a bullet, let alone the means to use it. This time Steve was inside for a long time. They'd arranged that if he was gone longer than twenty minutes she was to go back in to get him. So, as the clock ticked round to that amount of time, she pulled herself back into her part, and teetered back into the shop.

"Marcus, honey, where are you? I'm gettin' real lonely by myself out in the car," She was extremely relieved that she could see Steve through the glass of a door that said 'Private' on it. He got up, and came back out.

"Sheree, I thought I told you to wait in the car. You know you don't come in when I'm doing business, now scoot!" She could see that he was still in control of the situation so she pouted at him, and made her journey in reverse. It was another fifteen minutes before Steve got back in the car. "Once we get round the corner, you're going to have to drive." Steve looked over at her.

"Fine, no problem, but why?"

"Dear old Lloyd was handing out the whiskey, got all upset about the terrible waste that Kelly's death was. It was disgusting, almost as disgusting as his cheap drink." They had pulled into the kerb now, and as Rae had slipped her shoes off, she walked, barefoot, round the car, and swapped places with Steve.

"So, we now know that Kelly Brown was photographed by Lloyd. I guess it was him who sent the photos in to the magazine; maybe we can find that out later. You know I'm beginning to be delighted that my picture was only in the daily paper."

Rae took a quick glance at her watch; it was just coming up to five o'clock. As they had about another three or four hours on their shifts, she headed back towards the precinct, and wondered how they were going to put today's labours into their reports. 

She picked up her normal clothes from the trunk of the car, and walked into the precinct. Steve put his hand on her rear one last time, and she turned round with a grin on her face and winked at him.  Rae was tired, and not thinking very straight, or she would have realised what result her appearance could have on the male dominated area she was about to enter.

"Wow, Detective, I didn't recognise you with you clothes nearly on!" Bob was out from behind his desk as soon as she entered reception. She looked at him, and grimaced, before she carried on upstairs.

"Hey, Sloan, you never got Cheryl to do that for you!" 

"Whooee, come to papa, baby, you need a real man to show you a good time!" 

The catcalls were good natured, and continued for a few minutes. She sat exhausted behind her desk, and ran her fingers through her hair. Only of course, it wasn't her hair at all, and as she did so, it came off in her hands. She looked at it, and began to laugh. Steve looked over at her, he laughed too. Rae sighed, today had been a much better day, she had gotten over feeling dirty, and by the end of the exercise she had been enjoying herself. Today life wasn't so bad.

**Wednesday **I couldn't believe what I saw when she got back to the station. She was dressed like a tramp. She even had a wig on. I saw Steve touching her. No one should touch her like that; nobody should touch her where he did. He'll pay for that, for what he's done to her, and so will she. How could she let herself be like that?

"Ah, Sir, before we start on these reports, I'm going to have to go and get out of these clothes, I feel like I have a girdle on!" She walked across the room, barefoot once again. As she headed towards the lady's room Martin Robertson was coming up the stairs. He saw her, and turned a bright shade of red. He seemed really uncomfortable. "Hi, Martin, what do you think of the new me?"  She laughed, but then saw how awkward he looked, and realised that she had now embarrassed him twice in one day.

"Ah, I guess I'd better go change." She moved away from him, and he continued into the squad room. Five minutes later she was back in her normal jeans, and red t-shirt. "Ooh, it feels great to be able to breath again. Right, Sir, I guess we'd better do the last place first, then work our way back?"

Steve nodded, "Oh, before we start, this was on your desk for you." He held up a large brown envelope. Rae opened it and slid a photo out of it. It was a proper print of the one that had been in the paper. She held it up.

"Nice, you could send that one to your mama!"

"You know, I think I will, it's a mother sort of picture, isn't it!" She sat down, and they started to talk about what they were going to write in their reports. Two hours later they were still at it. They had been through three cups of tea or coffee each, and they both felt as if they were going to fall asleep any minute.

Steve got up, and stretched. "I think it's time to call it a day. You were good, Rae. I know this is serious, let's face it all our work is, but it was fun out there with you today."

"You mean it isn't normally?"

They smiled at each other, and began to tidy up their desks. Once that was done they headed off together towards the door. "Oh, Rae, aren't you going to take your new clothes home with you?" Steve winked at her.

"Actually, I will. You never know, Sheree might have to make another appearance before this case is over." She went back, picked up the clothes, and then they carried on out to the parking lot. 

As Rae walked over to Tom, she could see that something wasn't quite right. As she got there, she let out a gasp. "Steve!" She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Down the side of her beautiful car somebody had scratched the word TRAMP! Her whole day came crashing down, all the fun forgotten; _somebody must really hate me_. Steve came running across the lot. He looked at the car, and put his arm around Rae's shoulders. _How much more is she expected to take?_

"Stay here, I'll go get a SCU, and see what they can get from this. Rae, I'm so sorry that this has happened to you." She looked up at him.

"I know," she said quietly. He wasn't gone more than a couple of minutes, they waited in silence until the two officers arrived to take photos, and dust down her car. Once that was done, they went back into the station together, and Rae gave a statement about what she had found. The officer assigned was Martin Robertson. Rae was glad that it was somebody she was friendly with, and would treat her seriously.

It was another hour before Rae and Steve were free to try to leave the station again. Tom had been taken round the back, where he would stay for the next few days, just in case they caught the person responsible quickly. Steve ran Rae home in his car, and walked her to Jesse's door, just to make sure that she was ok. He kissed her lightly on the cheek, and then he turned to go home himself.

Rae locked the door; she put the water on for a cup of tea, then went and had a shower. She put on a pair of shorts and a crop top, picked her book up off the nightstand, went back into the living area, and sat in the chair thinking about what could have made somebody do that to her car. She had been so proud of it. Suddenly she squared her shoulders; there was no way that this person was going to make her give up Tom. He was just what she'd always wanted; she would get him re-painted, and carry on driving. Once she'd made her drink she curled up on the sofa, and began to read her book. About an hour later she realised that she was hungry, and got herself some of the lasagne from the night before. Comfort food, no doubt about it. 

Jesse came quietly into the apartment just after eleven thirty expecting to find Rae fast asleep in bed, and the place in darkness, instead he saw her snuggled up on the sofa, a blanket over her, reading her book. She looked up, and smiled.

"Hey, there, I thought I'd wait up for you, as I hadn't actually spoken to you properly today." Jesse smiled, sat down next to her on the sofa, and pulled the blanket over himself as well. "And I have something to tell you. I don't want you to worry, but I need to tell you it." The smiled was gone.

"Are you, ok? What did Dr. Dobson say to you?" Jesse's mind started to work overtime, as he wondered what could have happened.

Rae put her hand up, "Whoa, just hold on a minute, I'm fine, well a little shaken up, but fine. My car was vandalised today. Somebody scratched TRAMP! down the side of Tom while I was in the precinct."

"What? Do you have any idea why somebody would want to do that?" Jesse was worried now. That was vindictive behaviour.

"No, the only reason I can think of, is that Steve and I were trying to find out who took some obscene pictures today, so I wasn't wearing as much as normal! But we didn't use my car, so I don't see how it could be that."

"Unless it's somebody who knows you, and what car you normally drive!" Jesse felt Rae shiver beside him, and he pulled her into the safety of his arms. "You did tell Steve about this right?"

"He was there. Oh, Jess, my lovely car," she shivered again, "Right, I'm not going to think about it any more tonight. I've told you, and now I'm going to bed!" She stood up, "Tomorrow I'll find out about getting it collected from the station, and taken to be re-painted."

"You're going to carry on using it?"

"You bet, I couldn't believe it when I saw Tom at the used car showroom. There's no way that I'm going to let some nutcase do me out of my car!" 

"Rae, let's face it, you are kinda visible in your little tomato. Couldn't you trade it in for something in dark blue?"

"No way. Absolutely not; anyway I wasn't talking about it any more remember?"

She got up off the sofa and made her way out of the room. Jesse stood up as well, grabbed the blanket and followed her, a little shell shocked, into the bedroom.


	4. Footsteps 1st Thursday

In my copy of this story I typed the comments of Rae's 'admirer' in a different font. However, I can't seem to download that, so I have put the day in **bold** in front of each part of the story that refers to this. I hope this is clear. If not feel free to e-mail me. Thanks.

**1st Thursday**

It didn't feel like they'd been in bed more than about twenty minutes when the phone rang, and Rae turned and tried to switch her light on. Nothing happened. She sighed and tried to look at the clock; it was three thirty in the morning! _Great, this has got to be either the station or the hospital._

"Detective Yeager… Hi, Steve… oh my, when was that?" Rae paused; she had a pained look on her face, and was running her fingers through her hair. "No, that's fine, is it ok if I get Jesse to drive me? I'll see you soon." She looked over at the sleeping form of her boyfriend, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jess, sweetheart, I know you've had a long day, but I need a favour."

"What, what is it, Rae, are you alright?"

"I take it you didn't hear the phone then?"

"No, what phone?"

"This one, doofus! I need you to run me to the station. A cop's been killed, Steve and I got the call."

Jesse struggled up in bed, he really hadn't heard the phone, and it was taking him a while to wake up. He looked over, saw Rae was already out of bed and putting her clothes on. She slipped into her jeans, grabbed a pink sweatshirt to go over the top, ran her fingers through her hair once again, and headed for the bathroom. Since it had only been about five and a half hours since her last shower, she just brushed her teeth, and then came back into the bedroom. Jesse was now up, and putting on the clothes he had worn the day before.

"Hey, at least you get to come back to bed, looks like I'll be working for the rest of the night, and on into tomorrow! Oh, and my light isn't working by the bed."

They walked down to Jesse's car, and he pulled out onto the almost deserted street. At least it wouldn't take long to get there. "So how come you and Steve got the call on this one, I thought you were concentrating on the Call Girl murder?"

"Well, we are, but somebody has to do it. We were on call and Steve said that the Chief asked him personally, so I guess we really don't have any choice. He also said that he doesn't know him. Apparently he doesn't work out of North Hollywood; his station is in Van Nuys. So even though it's another cop it isn't that personal." She paused, "I'm not too sure how I would do on personal right now."

It wasn't long before Rae and Jesse were pulling into the parking lot at the station, Jesse walked inside with her, and up into the squad room. Steve was on the phone as they walked in, and he waved them both over. "Yes, Sir… No, she's just arrived, Sir… she's without transportation at the moment…I'll fill her in now, and then we can get on our way, goodnight, Sir…" Steve put the phone down. "Pleasant dreams, Sir!" 

Rae walked over to Steve's desk, and Jesse followed behind her, he didn't want to leave her just yet. He was hoping that he could talk to Steve about her car. "Steve, could I have a word before you leave?" He started to walk away hoping that his friend would follow, and was immensely relieved when he did just that. "I heard about what happened to Rae's car. She doesn't seem to be too badly effected by what happened, but it scares the heck out of me! You know that she's going to get it re-painted, and carry on using it!"

"Good, that's what I'd do, too. If it's somebody who knows her, or at least sees her in her car then it'll show them that she hasn't be scared off by what happened. I think it's the right thing to do. I'm sorry, but I've got to go, Jesse."

Steve went back into the squad room, and walked over to Rae. "We need to get moving. I'll brief you as we go. It shouldn't take us too long to get to Van Nuys at this time of night." They got into Steve's car and headed out into the darkness. "The victim's name is Mario Santos, he was a motorcycle cop, thirty years of age, married with two young children. We have to go see the widow in the morning. I arranged it for nine. Is that ok?"

Rae nodded and then a thought struck her. "I guess I won't be seeing Dr. Dobson tomorrow morning then?" She glanced at her watch. "Sorry, this morning. Could you remind me at about eight to phone, and let his secretary know I won't be in?" She shut her eyes, she knew that she wouldn't have any time for the sleep her body craved, but at least she could make the world go away, for a little while.

Steve pulled over to the kerb, outside the park where the body had been found. They made their way to where they could see other cops, and showed their I.D. "The body's over here, Lieutenant," a female officer shone a flashlight over towards a mound under a tree, and they followed behind her. Amanda was crouched down beside the body and she turned and smiled.

"Hey, guys, we must stop meeting like this."

"What have you got for us, Amanda?" Steve was cold and tired, he wanted to be anywhere but here, so the words came out a little sterner than he had intended.

"Thirty year old male, Hispanic, shot once through the heart, not much more to tell at first glance." Her voice was taught. Nobody liked the idea of a cop killer. The body, which was still in uniform, was face down in the dirt; over on the path Steve could see his motorcycle. Amanda waved over the two men with the gurney; they lifted him up, turned him over, and laid him down.

"I know him!" Rae looked at the body. "Steve?"

"No, sorry, Rae, I've never seen him before, where do you know him from?"

"Well, you may not know him, Sir, but on Monday night he had his gun pointed at the back of your head!"

"What! That was a cop?" Steve was stunned.

"I don't suppose there are any witnesses floating about to be interviewed?" Rae saw Amanda shake her head. She looked back over at her partner. She didn't like what she saw and hurried across to him. "Steve, Sir? Are you ok?"

"He was a cop. He would've killed me, Rae. If I hadn't co-operated he would've killed me." Rae put her hand on his arm. 

"I know, I thought he had at one point. Come on, Sir; let's go sit on that bench while we wait for the body to be moved. We can't really check the area while it's still here."

"Do you feel that I'm a better cop than you, Detective?" 

"Maybe, Sir, you are on your own patch after all." Rae stared at him. _Where did that come from?_

 "Do you think that you owe me some sort of unearned respect?"

"No, Sir." Rae had no idea what he was talking about.

"Then stop calling me, Sir, it annoys the hell out of me!" Steve had a face like thunder.

"Yes Sir..., Sorry, Lieutenant."

She guided him across the park; they sat together on the bench and watched the scene in front of them.  After about five minutes she looked at Steve. He was sitting very still, although his temper seemed to have cooled some.  She began to think out loud hoping for a response. "You know, there's got to be something big involved in this case somewhere, something worth killing three people for, four if you include Santos' partner who I shot. You know I wondered why he called him his partner at the time, I thought it was because I'd used that word just a minute before him, but I guess I was wrong about that, it was a word he was used to using himself everyday."

Rae sat quietly, but her mind was racing. She'd forgotten that she was speaking her thoughts to get Steve involved in the conversation; she was on autopilot now. This was how she worked on her cases. So far what had they got? A prostitute and magazine model, a newspaper deliveryman, and a traffic cop! There didn't seem to be a connection. She tried it another way. One showed off or sold her body, one delivered papers and one protected the community. Wait, cut it down further, showed her body, delivered, and protected. "I've got it, I've got the connection!"

Steve, who obviously had no idea what she was thinking about looked over at her, "What connection?" He'd been miles away, reliving the feeling of that gun on the back of his neck. When he'd been told to kneel down, he'd been sure that he was going to be shot. To find out now that it was another cop, he shuddered and heard Rae begin to speak again.

"The connection between the three murder victims. Kelly Brown, prostitute, she showed her body in magazines, Ethan Norville, van driver, he delivered them and Mario Santos, cop, was the protection." She stopped, suddenly it didn't sound so obvious, she looked at Steve. "Lieutenant?"

He smiled at her and she breathed a sigh of relief; he had a feeling that she might be right. "You know we've got to get into those CD's. Maybe now that we have an idea what's going on we can have another try at breaking the code. He turned and saw the gurney disappearing through the trees; Amanda came over to her two friends.

"Steve, Rae, I'm going now. I'll look at Mr. Santos in the morning. Give me a ring and I'll let you know what I've found out. Are you ok, Steve?" she looked concerned.

"Yeah, Amanda, I'm fine. It's just a bit of a shock to find out that Santos was a cop that's all."

"Rae, I'll give you a ring at the weekend, the boys keep asking me when we're all going to meet up again." With that she was on her way, they both watched her as she headed to the coroner's wagon and then they returned to the subject at hand.

"Right, let's see if there's anything here, then we can return to the station." They spent the next hour looking over the grass where the body had been and the surrounding area. It was obvious that he'd been shot where he was found; there was blood in the grass, no scuffmarks, and, of course, his motorcycle was still there. They looked at the two sets of footprints that led from the path over to the tree and they took molds of them both. 

The sun was beginning to rise as they headed back towards the car. They got in and sat for a moment in silence. Steve turned to Rae, "I'm sorry, Rae, I guess I lost it for a moment. I just couldn't believe that another cop could do that. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I'm fine again now."

"Hey, it never happened, ok? Do you think we could grab a bite to eat on the way to the station, I'm absolutely starving?"

Steve looked at his watch, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea to me. The guys we need to speak to about the CD won't be in until nine, and we're supposed to be talking to Mrs. Santos by then."

They picked up some bagels and hot chocolate on the way back, and ate them as they drove. Rae's mind was working overtime. If there was an organisation it would appear that it was in crisis. There must be a way to infiltrate it somehow, but her knowledge wasn't sufficient to work out a plan on her own. Steve looked over at her; he was beginning to understand how she worked. While they had been sitting on the park bench, and she'd been thinking about the connection between the three of them she'd been almost completely still. Occasionally her hand would run through her hair, but apart from that she had been in a world of her own, and as he watched her he could see that she was going through the same process again. Then a small smile appeared on her face. He knew that she was going over things her way, so he said nothing. She'd tell him soon, probably when they got back to their desks.

They walked back into the squad room and across towards the coffee machine. Rae looked over towards her desk and to her surprise saw a beautiful bouquet of flowers on the top. She smiled to herself, _oh, Jesse, how thoughtful._ She walked over and picked them up. 

The card said, "To my English Rose, we will be together forever"

Rae walked over to the phone, and dialled Jesse's number. "Dr. Travis," his voice was heavy with sleep.

"Hi, sweetheart," In contrast Rae's voice was animated, "I'm sorry if I woke you, but I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful flowers, they were a wonderful surprise, but I told you our disagreement was over. We're fine again."

"Hey, wait up a minute, Rae, I didn't send you any flowers. I would have if I'd known they would make you happy, but it wasn't me."

"Oh," suddenly Rae felt uneasy, "Oh, I better go. I'll speak to you later, Jess." She put the phone down. She looked at the flowers again, and then she turned round, put her fingers in her mouth and whistled. The room was completely silent in a split second.

"Sorry, guys, but did anybody see who delivered these flowers?" Nobody said anything. Rae was feeling jitterier by the minute. "Ok, sorry to interrupt." She sat down in her chair, and picked up the card by its edges. There was no florists name on it. She opened her drawer took an evidence bag out, and slipped the tag in it. She looked up to see Steve staring down at her.

"You know, Jesse didn't like what happened to my car. I thought maybe it was a one off, but if he didn't send these, then who did?"

"Go and ask the Desk Sergeant if he saw anything." She got up from her desk and walked out of the room. When she got out of sight of her partner she leant up against the wall for a second, and ran both hands through her hair. Then she took a deep breath, tried to look carefree, and headed for the stairs.

"Hi, Detective Yeager, how's it going this morning?" Bob was on duty again, in fact it seemed he was always there.

"Don't you have a home to go to, Bob?" Rae smiled at him, and placed both hands on the desk. "What time did you start your shift?"

"About, Oooh," he checked his watch, "Three hours ago, why?"

"Did you see anybody bring me in some flowers? I've no idea what time, sometime after I left here last night, and before I got in this morning."

"No, sorry, we haven't had any deliveries, if that's what you mean, maybe you have a secret admirer?"

"Bob, did you hear what happened to my car?"

"Yeah, what a shame."

"Well, I don't think I want a secret admirer!"

"No, I see what you mean. If anybody asks me anything about you, I'll let you know, ok?"

"That would be great. Thanks, Bob."

She knew that she would have to be satisfied with that, so she headed back to her desk, and to the work she needed to do.

As she sat there she looked over at the clock, it was just after seven she got out a pad from her desk, soon her head was resting on her arm as she wrote quickly, and neatly across the page. She had all her impressions of the last three and a half days, plus the basis of a plan to infiltrate the gang, _ok, so I don't know if it's a gang, but I can't think of another word,_ if their information so far was correct. When she looked at the clock again it was ten past eight. She picked up the phone and called Dr. Dobson. She heard Helen's voice on the other end of the line.

"Dr. Dobson's Office, can I help you?"

"Oh, hi, Helen, it's Detective Yeager, look I'm really sorry about this, but I'm going to have to cancel for today. Steve and I were called to a new case this morning, and there's no way I'm going to be able to get in to you. My plan is to be there tomorrow though."

"That's OK, Detective, in your line of work I guess it's to be expected now and again. I'll pass your message on for you. Have a nice day!"

Rae smiled, so people really did say that then! She looked back at her pad. She'd been doodling while she'd been on the phone, and without really realising it had drawn a rose; she grabbed the pencil by the side of the pad, and scribbled it through. Then she went over to the computer, and started to put her ideas into a document on there. Once that was done, she screwed up the piece of paper with the rose on it, and threw it in the bin. She picked up the flowers from were they were laying on the floor. They gave her the whim whams, but she still couldn't throw them away, she decided to take them over to the hospital later. Without the tag nobody would know what their original purpose had been. Heck they'd been for her, and she didn't know what it was!

Steve wandered over to her. He had seen how deep in concentration she'd been since she'd returned to the room, and he hadn't wanted to intrude, but they needed to get a move on if they were to get to Mrs Santos' house in time for their appointment. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she let out a gasp.

"Oh, Steve! Sorry, I was deep in thought. I guess it's time for us to leave, isn't it?"

He nodded and they walked out together. Rae had the flowers with her; she planned to drop them off later, before they got back to the precinct. As they went out into the hallway she saw Martin Robertson and Phil Levington talking, she raised a hand in acknowledgement to them both, and carried on her way. When they got to the lobby she walked over to Bob. "These are the flowers, I suppose they still don't ring any bells?"

The Desk Sergeant shook his head. "Nope, sorry, Detective, I can't help you I'm afraid."

They walked out to the car, she put them on the back seat, then she buckled herself in and thought about how they were going to face the grieving widow of a cop who'd attacked a colleague.

**Thursday**I saw her coming out of the precinct this morning; she was carrying the flowers I sent her. I'm so glad that she liked them. She was dressed better today. I guess my note on her car let her know how I feel about clothes like that. My little camera took a picture of her carrying her flowers, an English rose, no doubt about it.

As they drove along Steve and Rae discussed the link they thought they'd found. "Rae, d'you remember what you said when we first went into Ethan Norville's apartment?" Rae shook her head.

"If I sat and thought about it I probably could, but not off the top my head, no, Sir, sorry, Steve, slip of the tongue, why, what did I say?"

"You said, 'nice apartment, for a delivery man,' I did a bit of digging. That apartment would set you back about $1,800 per month, and there aren't that many facilities in the building, no gym or pool or anything. I don't think he should have been able to afford that on his salary."

"What was Kelly Brown's place like?" Rae couldn't remember what the file said; she'd been a little bit pre-occupied at the time.

"It was nice, very nice in fact, but it's hard to tell whether a call girl could afford that type of apartment or not. Somebody else could've paid for it. You know, I'm not sure what her bank details said, I'll have to double check that. Wow!" Steve let out a long whistle. He drew the car up outside a very nice house. It was white, and had two four wheel drive cars on the driveway. There were pillars going up either side of the entranceway, and probably enough bedrooms for the entire traffic division. Steve looked over at Rae. "Nice house, for a cop!"

"There's some serious money in this business somewhere, we just aren't finding it yet."

They got out of the car, and walked up to the door. They'd already decided that Steve would do the talking. Neither of them had wanted to be the one to talk about how her husband had been killed, and they felt it better that the attack on Monday night stay their secret for the time being. Steve rang the bell and they waited. A tall raven-haired woman answered the door. She was dressed in black jeans, and a black t-shirt. They could see two young children playing in the room directly behind them.

Steve took out his ID and smiled at the woman. "Mrs. Santos?" She nodded, "My name is Lieutenant Steve Sloan and this is Detective Reagan Yeager."

"Lieutenant, you're not from Mario's precinct are you?"

"No, ma'am, but it's about your husband that we're here."

Rae put her hand on Mrs. Santos' arm, "Could we talk inside the house do you think?" Rae couldn't help but have a sympathetic tone to her voice and the woman immediately picked up on it, she was obviously distraught. Her hand went to her mouth and her eyes filled with tears.

She backed into the house and then led them into a very spacious and airy room decorated in yellows and golds. She sat on the sofa and Rae made sure that she was close to her. She turned to her partner and Steve began to speak.

"Mrs. Santos, I'm sorry that we have to invade your privacy at such a difficult time. As he looked at the young woman in front of him who must be about twenty-five years old, had two young children to look after and had just lost her husband, he disregarded what the man had done for a moment, and felt a deep sadness for this family.

Mrs Santos looked over at Steve, took a deep breath and then said, "How did he die? I didn't get much detail from the officer who called earlier, Lieutenant, did he come off his bike?" Steve shook his head.

"He was shot, Mrs. Santos, murdered."

Rae looked over at the clearly shocked woman. "Is there anybody I can phone to come and stay with you, Mrs. Santos?" The woman nodded. 

"My purse is on the table in the hall, the address book is underneath it. My mother's name is in there. Her surname is... Hudson, sorry she just re-married." Rae got up and went out into the hallway. Steve saw her go and then he turned back to the woman sitting in front of him.

"Will I be able to see him later? I'll need to identify the body won't I?"

Steve nodded. "I'll get somebody from Mario's precinct to go with you if you would prefer.

"Yes please, thank you, Lieutenant."

Steve took a breath, "I'm sorry to have to ask you these questions, but I just need some facts from you. Do the names Kelly Brown or Ethan Norville mean anything to you?"

She shook her head. "Mario had many friends that I didn't know about, Lieutenant. It may sound corny, old fashioned, or just mind numbingly boring, but all I wanted was to be a good wife and a loving mom to my kids. Mario was very seldom here, but when he was we had a good marriage. If they were friends of his, I wouldn't have known about it. I'm sorry."

The room became silent. They could hear Rae out in the hallway explaining gently to the person on the other end of the line, that she was needed here, as soon as possible. A few minutes later she returned to the room. "I spoke to your mother, Mrs. Santos, she said she will get in the car and be here in about three hours. Do you have a friend who could stay with you until she arrives?" 

The widow shook her head. "There's really no need, Detective, I'll be fine for a short while. Besides, I need to talk to my children, without anybody else being here."

"Do you have any idea who could have done this to your husband, Mrs. Santos?" 

The woman looked up with large, tear filled eyes. She shook her head. "I don't think so, he always looked forward to going to work. I know he was a cop, but I never thought of a motorcycle cop as being a particularly dangerous occupation. If he'd been in homicide, or narcotics then I would probably have been a nervous wreck."

"You have a beautiful house here, Mrs. Santos, you must be very proud of it." Rae smiled over at the woman.

"Yes, it's lovely, isn't it? We've only lived here for about eighteen months. Mario just came home one day and said that he'd been working things out and we could go and look for a much nicer house than we were living in then. And trust me this is much better than before." 

"I hate to ask this, Mrs. Santos," Steve paused, "But do you think that Mario could have been working two jobs, or anything to pay for this."

"Do you mean like something illegal, Lieutenant?" Her voice was edged with steel as she spoke, but he didn't lose eye contact with her.

"Yes, Mrs. Santos, I mean something like that. I'm just fishing around at the moment, but this is a very beautiful house for a cop to own. I know I'm causing offence, but I'm just trying to do my job."

"I think I'll terminate this now, Lieutenant. If you wish to speak to me about my husband any more I'll meet you at your station with my lawyer present." She stood up and indicated with her hand that they should leave the room. 

"Yes, ma'am, I'm sorry. I will get one of your husband's colleagues to contact you about viewing his body." 

As they walked back towards the entry hall, Rae turned around and said, "Mrs. Santos, I realise that you're very shocked and this is a terrible time for you, but if you do think of any information that might help us to find your husband's killer, I hope you'll contact us on one of these numbers." She handed over her card, which had the squad room and her cell phone number on it. Then she turned and left the house.

As Rae got into the car, she pushed her cards back into her pocket. "That's the first time I've given anybody one of these." She smiled at her partner as he put the call through to the station to arrange for Mrs. Santos to see her husband's remains. Then he started the car and they headed back towards the station.

"You know, I think we need to get a look at his bank records as soon as we can."

Rae looked over at him. "I didn't have time to get Norville's details yet. But I think we should do Santos first."

It took them two hours to find a judge and get what they wanted. An hour after that they were sitting in the squad room looking at bank statements that most cops would recognise.

"The only thing that's odd about these is that there are no mortgage or rental payments on them. If I hadn't seen where he lived these are just the financial records I would expect to see. We need to get into his safety deposit box." 

Steve was shaking his head as he looked at the figures. He agreed with everything that Rae was saying, there had to be more. Steve got on the phone to arrange a meeting for a second warrant. He was a bit doubtful about how lucky he would be. He was extremely fortunate, the judge was very helpful and soon he was arranging with the bank manager to arrange to see the safe deposit box. 

Rae stood up to get a drink for each of them, and looked over Steve's shoulder at the figures on his pad. She rubbed her hand over her eyes. Her late night and early morning were beginning to catch up with her. Her phone began to ring in her pocket and she answered it. "Detective Yeager… hello… is there anybody there?" she shrugged, switched it off, and put it away. 

They drove to the bank, and met with the manager, there was no problem in getting the safety deposit box brought up them. They sat alone in the manager's office ready to go through it. Rae put a pad on the desk and got ready to take a note of all the items inside. For all she knew it might be virtually empty, but she had decided to be an optimist. 

"Wow!" She wasn't disappointed. The box was full of paperwork; they started to go through it, with Rae writing a brief description of each one on the paper. After a while she decided that it was a futile exercise, they would need to take everything back to the station.

"Oh, she must have known that he was bringing in way to much money for a cop! According to these deeds, the house is paid for in full. So are the cars, they have savings accounts, current, and deposit accounts. And I would put money, if I had any to spare, on the fact that there are other things hidden in here too."

She smiled over at her partner; Steve had been tapping on a calculator while Rae was talking. "He has just over a million dollars in these accounts. I wonder whether the IRS has any information on him. He looks like the kind of guy they would love to audit! And I know just the person who would love to do it too!"

Rae looked over at him. She had no idea what he was talking about. She shrugged her shoulders and carried on reading. "Hold on, we might have something here. He's been paying a monthly amount to a real estate agent. Now, unless he is looking to buy more property and has been paying a retainer to this guy, I would say that there's a rental property out there somewhere worth looking at."

"The address is only just down the block, seems strange to come all the way across from his own precinct and go right close to ours. Still makes it easier for us." Steve smiled.

There wasn't much more to see, but there was something else to catalogue. Two keys, one looked like a front door key. The other one like it would open a lock up or a storage bin of some kind. Rae looked through the paper work again. _Here we go_, she held up an invoice from the real estate agent. On the top were the addresses of two properties. She showed it to Steve. He walked out of the office and she could see him talking to the manager who had been waiting just outside the door in his secretary's room. In the interim Rae had packed everything back into the box and arranged to meet with the real estate agent. "We need to take this with us, Mr. Unger, my partner Detective Yeager will give you a receipt." 

Once they had finished their business at the bank they got back in the car, and headed for the company address on the invoice.

"That wasn't just down the block. It wasn't far, but we needed the car!"

"You're getting lazy, Detective, how about a run along the beach later? Looks like you could do with the exercise. Remember, you might have to get back into those jeans, Sheree!" Rae stuck her tongue out at her partner and they walked over to the Real Estate Office. "Osborn Properties – Don't make a move without us!" 

They entered the office, and were met by a very efficient looking middle-aged lady. "Yes, Sir, Madam, may I help you?"

"We're here to see Mr. Osborn, he's expecting us."

"Who shall I say is here Mr. and Mrs.?"

Rae smiled, she looked at Steve and he nodded. "Ah, that is Lieutenant Steve Sloan and I'm Detective Reagan Yeager."

They saw her open the door at the end of the hallway, and heard her announce, "Mr. Osborn, there are two police officers who say they have an appointment. Very good, Sir, yes, I'll hold all your calls." She walked back down towards them and said, "You may go through."

Steve smiled at Rae and said, "After you, Mrs. Sloan!" 

"Why thank you, Mr. Yeager!" He held the door open for her and they went into meet with Mr. Osborn. 

"Detective, Lieutenant, how can I help you?"

Steve briefly outlined the case they were working on, explaining that they needed to know whether the two addresses they had were the only ones Mario Santos had been renting from him. He also wanted to know how long the rental was paid for. He double-checked that it had been paid in cash each month. When they had the information Mr. Osborn gave them the keys to both properties and they walked back past the secretary without a word. They didn't mention that they already had keys.

They got into the car and Steve picked up the phone. "Hey, Dad, it's Steve, listen we're about to go and look around a lock up, we could do with another pair of eyes. Ours are getting a bit heavy." He gave Mark the address and arranged to meet him there. 

Rae's phone rang; she took it out and answered it. "Detective Yeager… hello, is there anybody there?" She banged the phone with her hand. "That's the second time that's happened to me today, maybe I ought to get it checked. Could we pick up something to eat, Steve? I don't know about you but I need some lunch, even if it is," she looked at her watch, "almost five pm!" They stopped at a convenience store, and got some sandwiches, some bottled water, and a couple of apples. Once they arrived at the first location they sat eating their meagre fare until Mark arrived.

Steve unlocked the garage, the up and over door slid up silently. The garage was full, but neat. On the left hand side there were packs of magazines. Steve picked up a packet, his gloved fingers slipping on the plastic wrappings. They looked like the latest edition, there was a picture of Kelly Brown on the front and it had a black border all around it. Next to the magazines there were three stacks of cartons, which all said _printers ink_ on them. On the right of the garage was a very complex looking printer. They had found the hub of the business. Or one of them. There was no way you would make a million dollars in this one location. 

Rae sat down on the stool, which was by the printer. She was watching Mark. He hadn't said anything since they entered the garage. He walked around looking at any and everything. She was fascinated. When he'd told her who he thought the murderer was in their last case she'd been astounded, astounded but relieved, as it confirmed her own theories, but she still couldn't see how he'd worked it out without all the evidence before him. Now she was beginning to get an idea.

After about five minutes Mark looked over at his son. "Can I open one of these packets son?" He was looking at the magazines.

"Yeah, sure, what are you hoping to find?" 

"Do they have advertisements in them?"

"Oh, yeah, for stuff you wouldn't imagine in your wildest dreams, or nightmares, why?"

"Because if they have advertisements there'll be a copy date. If we go back to the other magazines we can see if the copy date was before, or after Kelly was killed. If it was before then it was an inside job, by either the magazine staff or anyone associated with the production of it."

Rae shook her head. She was pretty sure that she wouldn't have thought of that, at least not yet.

Mark continued. "This is issue thirty one, so somewhere between twenty five and twenty eight should have the copy date for this issue. I wonder where he gets his paper and his printer's ink. Unless he's buying a large amount this must be bought off the shelf." They left the garage, Steve locked it up, and got on the phone to get a couple of black and white's down to take all the stuff back and put it under lock and key. Steve also arranged for a guard to be posted overnight.  Then they headed on to the second location.

They pulled up outside a very small unit. It wasn't very far from the first location, but there was enough distance between them for them to appear unrelated. Steve unlocked the door, and they walked into an office. There was a desk, a computer, filing cabinets; everything you would need except staff. Steve looked around. "Don't touch anything, I'm going to get the lab boys down here, I want this place dusted." He took out his phone, and wandered outside.

It took the lab an hour to send somebody down and another hour to dust the place, by that time Rae was almost asleep standing up. She'd had three more dead phone calls, she wanted to switch the thing off, but she knew she couldn't. All she'd had to eat all day was a bagel, two sandwiches and an apple; she was tired, hungry and irritable. Finally they were able to re-enter the office.

"Ok, Rae, you start on the desk, Dad, d'you want to look at the filing cabinet? I'm gonna see if I can get into this computer." They worked in silence for about thirty minutes before Rae's phone went off again.

"WHAT? … Oh, sorry, Jess, no, no, it's just that I've been getting dead calls all day and I thought it was another one, my phone didn't recognise your number… I'm going to be at least another two or three hours, why? Oh, great, look can you ring her back, and ask her to slip the papers through your door? Then I can sign them when I get home and she can sort them out tomorrow. Then I'll see if I can change my day off to Monday, and we can get it sorted, what do you say? Ok, yeah, I love you too, bye." Rae switched off her phone, and slipped it back in her pocket.

"Hey, guys, guess who gets to sign the lease on her own place tonight?"

"Really, Rae, are you sure you're ready to do that, sweetie? You know you can stay with us or Jesse for as long as you want, don't you?" Mark looked concerned. He stopped what he was doing, and walked over to her.

"Mark, Steve, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me, but I really need to do this, besides, I'm only moving as far as the apartment next to Jesse, so I think I'll be all right." She had a broad grin on her face, as much as she loved being with her friends, there was something about being able to shut your front door at night, and be safe in your own little nest. She'd missed that.

Mark walked back over to the filing cabinet, and Rae carried on searching through the desk. She ran her hand over the underside of the top inside the drawer and her fingers felt something stuck up there. She took the three drawers out, lay on the floor and looked up into the cavity above her. She got up again, peeled the tape carefully back and retrieved an envelope. "I think I may have found something."

The envelope was sealed so she held it up to the light, and could see that its contents were away from the top. She picked up the letter opener and gingerly started to slide it across. Then she took the piece of paper out, unfolded it and laid it on the desk. There were three 'words' on it. rotubirtnoc sreilppus and stnuocca. 

"Ok," said Steve, sounding very confused. "All contributions gratefully received, what does it mean? Looks like gobbledygook to me."

Rae and Mark looked at each other and shrugged. Rae wrote the 'words' down three times on separate pieces of paper, they all sat and looked at them. Suddenly Rae got a glimmer of an idea. She began to write something, Mark looked across, and she knew he'd got it too.

She smiled at him, "Do you want to tell him or shall I?"

"What, what? Tell me what? Oh great, now you're ganging up on me, you've both solved it haven't you, and I don't have any idea."

"Well, son, you are up against the medical consultant to the police department and the most famous detective in L.A. what do you expect!"

"I tell you what, I'll give you a clue. The last one is accounts." Rae stopped talking and looked at him. Steve looked at the last word, then the other two, and then a smile worked its way across his face. 

"And there just happens to be three of them, and there are three CD's. We cracked the code! Contributors, Suppliers and Accounts. Did we find anything else of use yet?"

"Well, the filing cabinet has a lot of nothing really. Letters to advertisers, also letters from other magazines where I guess they advertised themselves, but that's about it. The computer has really replaced the filing cabinet, especially when you've got things to hide." Mark shut the drawer he'd been looking in. The two bottom drawers had been completely empty, and there'd only been a handful of things in the top one.

"How about you, Rae, did you find anything else?" Steve looked across at his partner, and could see how tired she was.

"No, just what you would expect to find. Pens, pencils and rulers. Lined pads, telephone message pads, I tried to get an imprint but it didn't work. Couple of packets of gum, one packet of menthol cigarettes and a photo of somebody's dog. That's it, sorry. The other drawers have printer paper in them, envelopes, general stationery, as I said, just what you'd expect to find. There was nothing else taped to any of the drawers either, because I looked." Rae tried to stifle a yawn, but all she achieved was to make Steve and Mark yawn too. "Sorry, guys."

"Well, I can't get into this computer, I'll have to take it back to the station and have a go there, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow for that little job. I'll just arrange for a guard to be posted here tonight as well, and then I think we can call it quits for today."

Rae looked over at her partner. "Could you drop me home? I'm still Tom-less remember? Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to arrange for him to be re-painted."

"Why, what happened to your car, Rae?"

"Oh, sorry, Mark, didn't Steve tell you? Somebody scratched TRAMP! down the side of it yesterday, so I have to get a new paint job. I was not impressed, my lovely little car."

"I can run you home, Rae. Steve is as tired as you are; let him go straight to the beach house. How will you get into work tomorrow?" Rae smiled at her friends concern.

"I have to see Dr. Dobson tomorrow at eight thirty so I'll get Jesse to run me into the hospital. I'll be fine, Mark, don't worry about me."

They walked out of the office together. Steve joined them. "Did I hear Dad say he would run you home, Rae?" She nodded, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, can you get in a bit earlier than normal?" 

"Yeah no problem, I'll come straight in after I've finished at the hospital." With that Mark guided her to his car and Steve walked over to his own. As Steve opened the door he saw the flowers still in the back. He picked them up and turned, there was a dumpster just beside him on the sidewalk, he put them in it and got into his car.  They went in different directions, Mark and Rae chatted lightly until they drew up at Jesse's apartment block. "Thanks, Mark, I guess I'd better go and sign my lease, could you come up and witness it for me?" 

"Sure, Rae, it would be my pleasure." She leant over and kissed him on the cheek. 

"Thank you, it'll be nice to have my own front door again." After Mark had witnessed her signature, and that of Miss Diego, he left Rae, and walked back down to his car.

She let herself into Jesse's place, and turned the light on. She walked over to the window and waved. She saw Mark's car draw away, and then she sat down with her copy of the lease in her lap. After a little while Rae wrote a short note to Jesse, and clambered into bed. She was too tired even for a shower; she would deal with that in the morning. She was almost asleep before her head hit the pillow. It had been an extremely long day.

**Thursday **I had to send her another note today. All I see her doing is kiss people. Her doctor friend, her partner and then the dad of her partner. She just doesn't realise that it isn't correct behaviour for a person in her position to be seen kissing people all the time. I keep having to take pictures of all this kissing. I rang her today to let her know, but she sounded busy all the time. I found her card screwed up on the front step of the house they visited this morning, I saw the lady who lived there throw it out of the door just after they'd left. I knew I was there for a reason. It was to get her cell number, now I can contact her whenever I want, and hear her voice whenever I feel like it. I hope she gets her letter in the morning. I saw her drive home with Mark Sloan; I guess she feels that her little car is telling her a few home truths at the moment!


	5. Footsteps 1st Friday

In my copy of this story I typed the comments of Rae's 'admirer' in a different font. However, I can't seem to download that, so I have put the day in **bold** in front of each part of the story that refers to this or _italics if it is speech or a letter._. I hope this is clear. If not feel free to e-mail me. Thanks.

**1st Friday**

Rae suddenly jolted up in bed. She grabbed the clock. Eight o'clock, already! She jumped out of bed. "Jesse, we've overslept, I need you to run me to the hospital, and I have to be there in thirty minutes!"

"No, **you've** overslept – **I** don't have to be there until one! He groaned, opened one eye, and then rolled over. 

Rae shook him, "Please, Jess, I'm sorry, it's not my fault what happened to Tom."

"Oh, ok, give me a minute, we can't both use the bathroom at once."

"Well, we could, but not if we want to get out in thirty minutes." Rae smiled over at him, and headed for what she hoped would be an energising shower.

By the time they'd both washed, and Rae had grabbed her drink and apple it was eight fifteen. They got into Jesse's car, and Rae called ahead to let Helen know that she might be a little late.

Rae rushed out of the elevator, "Helen, I'm so sorry, no excuses, I overslept, I hope I haven't mucked up his day for him."

"No, Detective, it just gave me time for a second cup of coffee! Shall we go through?"

Rae sat in the now familiar chair, and looked across at the friendly face behind the desk. "I'm sorry that I had to cancel so late yesterday, but I was caught up in a case, and there was no way I was going to get here. In fact, it was a very long day, which was why I was late this morning."

"It's not a problem. Now, as I'm sure you recall, when you were here before we were discussing your reactions when Steve was attacked. When you were with Steve waiting for the ambulances to arrive, did you know that the other man was dead?"

Rae shook her head. There had been no preamble this morning; the doctor had wasted no time getting to the next difficult bit. "No, I called separate ambulances, and then when they had both arrived, I went with Steve. I was a bit shaken up, because I'd just shot somebody for the first time, but I would've been ok."

"Then what happened?"

"I was sitting waiting for Jesse to come and let me know how Steve was, when the second ambulance arrived. They wheeled the gurney in, and when Dr. Martin went over to it I heard one of the paramedics tell him not to bother because it was DOA." She took a breath, and waited. Dr. Dobson made no sound. "I couldn't believe it. Maybe I was being naïve, I did shoot the guy in the chest, but kill him?  I've been on the force for over fifteen years, I'd never shot anybody before." She shuddered.

"Then what happened?"

Rae described how she'd felt dizzy, and how she had, in fact, been sick, as well as sickened. She ran her fingers through her hair, and looked over at the doctor. 

"I think that you've realised, since I last saw you, that what happened is part of your job, maybe more so here than in London, and that you're beginning to accept that it was, unfortunately, inevitable in the circumstances. I also know that it happened after a particularly difficult period in your life, so I'm not surprised that it affected you."

"I know, but it doesn't make me feel any better about it. I shouted at Steve, blasted another detective, because he spoke at the wrong moment, and the other night…" She stopped. This time the doctor did speak.

"Yes, Detective?"

"The other night, after... Jesse and I made love, I just had to get up, and leave the room, I couldn't look him in the eyes, have him touch me or deal with the compassion in his voice, but just a few minutes before that … well, it was wonderful put it that way. I don't understand, how could my mood change so completely, so quickly?"

"That's easy, you let your guard down. You opened yourself up to the feelings you share with Jesse, once you had, the other emotions under the surface were easily released as well. You may find that happens quite a lot when you're in that situation, explain it to him, and if it happens, let the feelings out."

"How will I know when I'm letting the feelings take over, when they're in control of me, instead of the other way around?"

"Do you have a week for me to explain that one, Detective? I think that one of the biggest fears in your life is not being in control, or not being **thought **to be in control.  You described your feelings when Steve was taken, as being helpless, that there was nothing you could do. Sometimes it's good to lose control for a while, as long as you aren't holding an axe or a .44 magnum at the time. When you feel that losing control is taking over that's when it's dangerous. If, by letting the feelings out, you feel that it's helping, then it probably is. But I wouldn't expect you to still be feeling that way in about ooh, say two or three months time."

"Thank you, Doctor. When do you think I should come back? I must admit the panic about making another appointment isn't here today."

"Well, we booked you in for Monday didn't we? Not Tuesday, then your shifts change. I think that we should carry on with Monday's appointment and then maybe meet up once a week or fortnight for a while after that. How does that sound?"

"Just fine, Doctor, thank you." They shook hands and Rae walked back out to where Jesse was waiting for her. He stood up, and kissed her softly. 

"Are you finished, sweetie? Do you want me to drive you to work?" Rae nodded, and they got into the elevator. When they arrived on the ground floor Rae saw two officers she recognised from the station. She walked up to them, and showed her I.D. 

"Are you two going back to the station any time soon?" 

The taller of the two men turned to her, "In about five minutes, Detective." 

Rae arranged to meet them in the parking lot, and headed back to Jesse. "I've got a lift, Jess, why don't you go back home to bed? I'll try and get Tom sorted out today, I promise."

"Ok, but I think I'll grab a few hours in the sleep room, that'll do me. I'll see you later." He kissed her warmly and walked off down the corridor, and Rae went back out to wait for her ride.

The two officers in the black and white, Officers Johansson, and Bryant, came out about three minutes after she did, and they were soon en route to the station. As they were driving past a row of shops they saw three boys throwing stones at the windows. Officer Bryant pulled the car over and all three of them got out. 

"Hey, whaddya think you're doing?" Johansson called as they ran up to the shop, which now had a shattered pattern across it's front. Two of the boys ran, but the third just looked at Rae, and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Josh? Josh Marlow, whatever will your mum say, when she hears what you've been doing?"

Tears started to run down the boy's face, "Oh, please, Detective Yeager, don't tell her, I'm real sorry."

"Do you know this little thug then, Detective?" Officer Bryant had chased one of the boys, but he'd disappeared out of sight. 

"He's not a thug, Officer, I think we'd better take him back to the station with us, then Lieutenant Sloan and I can decide what to do with him. What do you say, Josh, I think you'd better come with me, unless you want one of these guys to call your mum right now?"

Josh nodded, "Please, Rae, don't phone my mom!"

"Come on, you ride back with me, I'll sort something out." Josh got into the car and Rae signalled for the other officers to come over to her. "I'll vouch for him, ok? I know you don't know who he is, but I'm sure you heard about the case where two youngsters were murdered by their teacher?" Both men nodded. "Well his sister was one of the children. I think their family has enough to worry about right now."

"Ok, Detective, it's no problem, that was your case wasn't it? That's how you know the boy." Officer Johansson had given up his futile chase as well. Rae nodded and they got back into the car.

Rae sat next to Josh and squeezed his hand. He gave her a worried smile and sank back into the seat. He didn't say a word the whole journey.

When they got to the station Rae took Josh up to the squad room and sat him at her desk. It was half past ten and Steve was already in. "Hey, Josh, how you doin'?" he smiled over at the young man.

"We had a little problem didn't we, Josh?" Rae looked at him. He nodded his head. "We decided that his mum didn't really need to know that he was throwing stones at shop fronts, I thought that we could maybe take him home ourselves, and arrange for him to get an officer to come into school or to his scout group, what do you think, Josh?"

"Yeah, we get credit marks if we can arrange something like that, that would be cool." The boy's face had lit up.

"I tell you what, Josh, you write all the details down on this pad, I'll pass it along to the right person, they can phone your principal and arrange it, what do you say?"

"Thank you, Detective, Lieutenant, and you won't tell my mom right?"

"Right. Ah, Steve, if I could borrow your car I could take Josh home right now." Steve nodded and handed over the keys, "Or are you supposed to be at school today?"

"No, we're on break at the moment." Josh and Rae headed for the parking lot and got into Steve's car. "Hey, what happened to your red car, that was great?"

"Oh, it's in the, ah, shop, I think you call it, it got scratched."

When Rae drew up outside the Marlow home it was just as she remembered it. "How's your mum coping, Josh?" It had been only five weeks since their daughter had been killed; she knew that life would still be terrible for the Marlow's.

"She's trying real hard to get on with life, you know, but I don't think she will, not for a long time." He paused. "I don't think any of us will."

They walked up the path together and Rae rang the bell. Mrs. Marlow answered it, looked at Rae, then at Josh and her face became troubled. "Oh, Josh, what have you done? Please come in, Detective."

"Rae, please. It's ok, Mrs. Marlow, it was nothing terrible, I just had a quiet word with him, and he won't make the same mistake again. I was coming over this way so I just offered to give him a lift, besides I wanted to see you again to see how you were doing, and to thank you for the beautiful flowers you sent me while I was in the hospital."

"I'm glad that you liked them, thank you for doing what you said you would. We were so upset to hear that you were nearly killed yourself, are you better now?"

"Yes, thank you.  I've been on duty for the whole of this week; it's good to be back. We've arranged for Josh's class to get a visit from an officer at the station, they'll enjoy it and it'll do his credit score no end of good." She turned and winked at the young man. "You take care, Josh, your mum has my number if you ever need it." With that Rae shook his hand, smiled over at his mum, then she walked back to Steve's car and returned to the station.

Steve was on the phone when she got there, so she got on the phone herself, and put in a call to her insurance service company. She explained what had happened to her car, and they agreed to pay out, once she met her deductible amount. Then she phoned Dave, who she'd bought the car from, and he said he would send somebody for it within the hour. Once she had let the desk know about that she decided it would probably be a good idea if she actually did some of her work. She looked at her desk, stood up, got a cup of tea and tried to put her thoughts into some sort of order.

Steve put his phone down. He was smiling as he moved over to her desk. "Hey, Dad says hi! I've gotten the search warrants for Ethan Norville, Mario Santos and Kelly Brown's homes and bank details. So that should take up today easily. Oh, I mentioned to the Chief that you wanted Monday off instead of Tuesday and he has no problem with that. I don't know, can't you stand the pace of work out here, Detective?" He saw Rae stick her tongue out at him as he turned to head for the coffee machine, and then turned back. "Oh there's a package on your desk, it was there when I got here."

Rae looked in her tray and sure enough there was a brown padded envelope, which had her name in large letters on it '**Detective Inspector Reagan Yeager'**, something made her cautious, she put gloves on before she picked up her letter opener and slipped it along the top of the envelope, then she peered inside. There was a piece of paper and a photo inside. She slid them both out and looked at the letter first. Rae dropped it on the desk as if it had burnt her. "Steve!" He hurried over to her. Her face was ashen; he gently picked up the letter by the very corner and read it.

**_"_**_What do you think you are doing parading yourself around like this? You know I don't like it. You look like a TRAMP! Things happen if you dress like this. And you shouldn't let anyone touch you like Steve is here, tell him to be careful. I'll be watching. Make sure you're careful too. Hope you enjoy the photo.**"**_

Then he pulled the photo over to him the same way and looked at it. He could see that it had been taken in the police parking lot. It was of him and Rae when they had finished their little trip around the photo stores. He had his hand on Rae's butt and he could just see that she was smiling at him. He didn't think either of them had realised that they were being watched, he certainly hadn't.

"I'll get forensics up here, don't touch it. Why don't you go and see if Bob knows when this was delivered?"

Rae went down to the front desk, _haven't I done this before?_ She explained to the desk sergeant, who, for once, wasn't Bob, what had happened. He'd only been on duty for twenty-five minutes so wasn't of much help. He offered to phone Bob, and let her know what he said, but Rae decided to do it herself. "Oh, while I think of it, the garage is coming to take my car away to be re-painted. When they come, will you call me so that I can come and make sure it's all ok?"

The man nodded and Rae headed back upstairs with Bob's number on a piece of paper. As she entered the room her cell phone began to ring, without thinking about it she just answered it. "Detective Yeager."

**"**_Did you like the photo, **my love**? I hope you've got the message now, I don't like it when you look like a tramp, you need to make sure you're smart and well turned out for me, just like I do for you. I wouldn't want to have to hurt you to make you realise_.**"**

The phone went dead; Rae sat in Steve's chair. _My God, I've got a stalker!_ The discovery was chilling. She put her head on the desk and tried to think what to do.

"Detective, are you, ok?" She looked up to see Martin Robertson looking at her, with a very concerned look on his face. 

"Yeah, Martin, I've just got a lot on my mind right now. What are you doing up here? Can I help you?" Rae was suddenly suspicious of the whole world. 

"The desk sergeant asked me to tell you that the garage guy is here for your car."

"Oh, thanks, I'm on my way." Rae got up, as she went down the stairs she tried to collect her thoughts. She knew that the department would have somebody to speak to about stalkers and she needed to let them know. She also needed to talk to Jesse, Steve, Mark and Amanda. Rae stopped before she reached the main desk and got out her phone. She put a call through to Mark and then went down to meet the mechanic.  However, it was Dave in reception, he smiled as he saw her.

"Let's go outside, Dave, I think I need to explain a bit about what has happened to my car." They headed round to the back of the station together. Dave let out a gasp when he saw her car.

"Wow, you got somebody rattled didn't you? I can probably have it ready by tomorrow night. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, Dave, listen this may sound strange, but don't let anybody but me pick this car up, ok? If anybody asks you anything about it, please don't give out any information."

Dave looked puzzled, but he nodded his head. "I guess you've got a problem, huh?"

"Yeah, you could say that. Thanks, Dave, I'll ring you before I come over tomorrow."

Rae looked at her watch, it was one thirty, she picked up her phone and called Jesse, "Hi, Jess, are you busy?" 

"No, but it's the lull before the storm, we just got word that the driver of a bus taking retirees on an outing had to jam on the brakes, so we'll soon have the E.R. full of fluttery old ladies and gents with whiplash."

"That is very ageist, doctor! I'm surprised at you. Listen, I really need to talk to you, what time do you finish tonight?" 

"I can probably get away about ten thirty will that do you?" Jesse could hear the tension in her voice. "If I can get free any earlier I'll head straight home, ok?"

"Yeah, look I gotta go, I'll see you tonight… I love you, Jesse." She put the phone back in her pocket and went upstairs. Martin was on his way down, 

"I'm on my way to get some lunch, can I get you anything?"

"Ooh, yeah, a couple of bagels with salad in them would be nice." She rummaged around in her pocket and pulled out some change. She looked at it, then shrugged, and poured it all into Martin's hand. "Thanks, Martin, I owe you one."

The forensic team had long since left Rae's desk and so she sat back down at it. She saw Steve across the room, and signalled to him. He walked over, and she stood up. "I need to talk to you, privately. They moved over to a quiet corner, as they did so Mark came into the squad room. Rae called him over to her.

"Rae, what is it sweetie? Are you ok? You sounded real shook up on the phone." Mark had his hand on her shoulder and a concerned look on his face.

Rae shook her head. "No, Mark, I'm not ok, in fact I'm a long way from ok. I think I have a stalker!"

"What! Rae, are you sure?" Steve's voice was raised and she saw a couple of people look towards them, _Oh great, they probably think I'm arguing with **both** Sloans this time. _ She nodded.

I've been trying to get my brain around it, but I really need to write it down. She pulled a pad towards her that was resting on a nearby table. "Ok, first of all I just got hang up calls on my phone, then I got flowers. Today I got the photo, the letter, and a not very nice phone call. He said that I had to be careful because he would hate to have to hurt me to make me careful and, of course, there was Tom. I bet that was done just after the photo was taken." Rae shuddered. "You know it's a good job that I know that there are people like you here in L.A., because I seem to be getting involved with all the creeps and weirdoes!

"Why did you want to speak to us over here, Rae?" Mark looked over at her.

"Because I'm suspicious of everybody right now. Whoever it is, has got my cell phone number, he can get flowers and photos into the squad room, seemingly with no problem – and I've absolutely no idea who he is." She shuddered and stood up. "Right this is **not** going to disrupt the case, I'll just have to be real careful. Oh, and, Steve, please, you be careful, too."

"I will, Rae, I always am you know, and I'll keep my hand off your butt! Ok, then, if you really are ready, we need to go get the bank records for Ethan Norville, Kelly Brown and Duncan Myer. Then, when we have them, I want us to go and check out their homes. We can go over the bank records this weekend, we just need to make sure that if they have safety deposit boxes that we have them before the banks close tonight."

As Rae, Mark and Steve moved back into the room and headed for the stairs Steve heard his name being called. "Hey, Steve, we just got a call to say that your car was found at a wreckers yard this morning, it's probably been there a while because it's about one foot square!"

"Oh, great! Thanks."

Rae saw her lunch where Martin had left it on her desk and picked it up as she passed. "Ah, Steve, do you think you could look after my phone for a while? Just in case it rings." Steve took it off her and put it in his jacket. 

As she handed over the phone a thought struck her. She looked down at her lunch. Suddenly she couldn't eat it. She tried to repress a shudder. She couldn't trust anybody any more. As she dropped it in the nearest trash can and carried on walking, Martin Robertson watched her from the hallway. They went over to Steve's new car. _I guess I get to keep this one then. _ 

"Mark, are you going to come with us today?" Rae looked at him and he nodded his agreement. She let him get in the front of the car, and she sat in the back. "Steve, I need to get some lunch. Martin got me some, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat it."

Steve looked at her. "Oh, Rae, I'm so sorry this is happening to you."

"I know, thanks" Suddenly she thought of something else. "Hey, Steve, what happened to the flowers?"

"They now live in a dumpster by Mario's office. Right, two of the victims bank with Provident and the other one with First National; we'll do Provident first, and then move on to National. Once we've taken it all back to the precinct we can head for their homes. It's what two now? I reckon we'll be lucky to be back at the station again after that before our shift ends tonight. Is that ok with you, Rae, do you know when you'll get your car back?"

"Yeah, tomorrow afternoon, thank goodness. Can we see what time we finish, and then maybe you could either drop me at the hospital or at Jesse's again?" They chatted about nothing in particular on their way to the first bank. Once there the manager took them to an empty room, and gave them access to Kelly Brown and Ethan Norville's bank details. They both had safety deposit boxes, so Rae went off with a clerk to collect them. When they had all the information Steve gave the manager a receipt for each item, and they headed to the next bank. 

Mark stayed in the car to guard the boxes, and Steve and Rae met with their third manager in two days. Duncan Myer had six different accounts and a safety deposit box. Soon they were on their way back to the station to make sure that all the items were safely locked away.

Kelly Brown had lived nearest to the station. Her apartment had been visited when she'd been killed, but from the report they'd found nothing. As she'd been found on the street, though, not a great deal of effort had been used searching her place. Rae opened the door with the key that she had taken from Kelly's personal effects and let out a low whistle. The apartment was breathtaking.

The door opened onto a large living area, which was all painted in an off white. There were large works of art on the walls, and two enormous cream leather sofas in front of a huge mock fireplace. The rest of the furniture was regency in style, and also cream. The only colour in the room apart from the paintings was in the curtains, which were a deep burgundy. Rae made her way over to the desk by the French doors. She looked outside, it may be a beautiful home, but the view was just of other homes. _Still she probably didn't use it for the view, well, not that one anyway._ Rae sat down, and started to look through some papers. Steve went into the bedroom, and Mark opened a large double cupboard in the corner of the living area. They worked quietly, occasionally one or other of them would show the others something, or make a comment about what they'd found. After about three quarters of an hour Rae heard her phone ring in Steve's jacket. She got up, and walked towards the bedroom.

"Detective Yeager's phone… hello, look buddy … beat it, ok … just leave her alone!" Then Steve hung up. "I think you can guess who that was. Right, come on, we're not going to dwell on him today, let's get on." 

Rae looked around the bedroom. It was another beautiful room. It was painted in a very pale peach and the bed was a four-poster. The furniture matched the style of the other room. The whole effect was very tasteful, peaceful, and expensive. Rae left Steve to it and went back to the desk. She slid her hand up under the top drawer wondering if she would strike gold twice. She didn't. Soon Rae had two piles on the desk, one was stuff to take, and the other was stuff to leave. So far there was only one thing in the pile to take with them, and that was an address book. Rae checked the final drawer. It was full of correspondence, letters written to Kelly from, by the look of it, about three or four different people. Rae bundled the letters together, and added them to the address book. Then she stood up and stretched.

"Do you want me to check the kitchen, Steve?" 

He put his head around the bedroom door. "Actually, Rae, could you come and help me in here, I'm on to her clothes now!"

"I'll do the kitchen then, son, there was nothing in this cabinet, except bills and receipts. I have separated them out and kept the ones from when the magazine started to be printed, plus the previous month, I think they'll make interesting viewing later." Mark headed towards the kitchen, and Rae the bedroom. 

Steve was standing by a large fitted wardrobe, inside it were rails containing day wear, evening wear and outerwear, all separated and colour coded. The light colours started on the left, and things got darker as they went across. There were some beautiful evening dresses, which glittered and sparkled in the late afternoon sun. "This has got to be the most organised closet I have ever been in."

"You make a habit of rummaging around in women's closets do you? Her desk was very organised too." Rae smiled over at her partner. She pulled out a black dress, which had a starburst of diamante going out from the waist. "Oh, aren't they beautiful, somebody had great taste, and a lot of money, this is hardly Marks and Sparks."

"Who?"

"It's a what, Mark**s**, not Mark. Marks and Sparks? Marks and Spencer's, you must have heard of them, big stores, sell clothes, food, nice things."

"No, sorry, not my type of place, and I've never been to London!"

"You haven't lived. Marks and Sparks is where most British women buy their undies!"

Steve just looked at her, "Thank you, Detective, that is way too much information! However, I will file it away for later."

"Sorry," Rae put the dress back in the closet, and said, "Ok, what are we looking for?"

"I have no idea, but remembering when we were looking at Hana Marlow's room, I thought you could start in her... undies drawer!" Rae smiled at him. She went over to the dressing table and opened the top right drawer; it was full of frothy, lacy panties, all either white or black, and none of them cheap. 

"Nope, these aren't Marks and Sparks either. This woman spent a lot of money on herself, no doubt about that. I know in her line of work she had to, but she really did like fancy things."

It was another hour before they had finished searching the apartment. They had found almost nothing. Just some letters, an address book and a pile of bills and receipts. They packed them all into a box that they found in the kitchen and headed to the next apartment.

Duncan Myer had lived in a ranch style house in Burbank. So far the only victim who had been married was Mario Santos. Mr. Myer's home was a typical man's house. It was painted white and it was obviously just somewhere to live. There was mail on the mat when they entered. Steve picked it up and bagged it. Then they walked into the main room. There was an answer phone machine flashing in the corner. Rae went over and pressed the button with a pencil. _"Hi, Dunc, listen man, I can't get hold of Ethan, so I'll pick you up as normal and we'll head over there. We have to talk to him. He won't get away with what he's doing to us. We need to let him know this is his only warning."_ Then the line went dead. Mario, for it must have been him, had talked for too long and the machine had cut him off. They carried on listening. _"Duncan, hi baby, don't forget. I really need to see you tonight. I'll be waiting in our usual place."_ They listened to the sound of kissing down the phone line, and then that message, too, went dead. _"D, hey I didn't get my delivery, if you know what I mean. I have customers, man, and they want their stuff. Ring me, or I'll have to find you. I want my money back if you can't deliver."_

Steve looked over at his dad and his partner, "Did Kelly have an answering machine?"

Rae nodded. "Yeah. The tape must be at the station, it was empty, I checked." Rae took a breath. She had ended this man's life. With one action everything that had been him was gone. _It was him or you, remember that._

Once again, they attended to their tasks. Once upon a time, Rae had felt like an interloper as she pried into people's lives, looked at their secrets, and invaded their sanctuaries. Now she just did what she had to, and hoped that nobody would ever do it to her. They'd been working for about twenty minutes, when Mark called them into the kitchen. Underneath a set of drawers in the fitted kitchen was a black tin box. When Mark shook it, it rattled, and sounded as if it was full of coins. It was locked so they put it on the table ready to be taken with them when they left.

Rae collected up all the bills, invoices, and receipts that she could find, then checked the desk, and the rest of the furniture in what could only be described as a den. There was a computer in the corner, which would be taken complete.

In the bedroom Steve found another black box under the chest of drawers, Duncan Myer was obviously a man of very little imagination. Just to complete the set Rae found a third one under the video cabinet. Apart from that there was nothing else of interest, and at just about seven they headed back to the car, and on to Ethan Norville's home.

As Steve and Rae had already checked this apartment themselves, they let Mark have a wander round while they watched him. He tried all the common places to hide things, from the drawers by the bed to the waste pipe in the kitchen. He found nothing. Then they all had another look. While Steve and Mark were checking the cupboards in the kitchen area, Rae went out to the door, and looked back into the apartment. When they had arrived the last time, Duncan Myer had been in the main area, but Mario Santos had been in the bathroom. She went in there, and looked around. Had he just gone in there to grab Steve, or had he been looking for something? Rae knew that the flat had been cordoned off since Monday, so nobody without a good reason could have got in. 

She checked under the washbasin, and around the back of the toilet, nothing. Then she looked at the bath. It had wooden panelling along the front. It was called tongue and groove boarding in London. _I have no idea what it is here._ She ran her hand along it tapping each plank. When she got three quarters of the way along she found a loose board. She pried it off, and gasped. "Steve, Mark, could you bring a flashlight into the bathroom, please?

Steve pointed the beam under the bath. They must have been looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars! Steve got his phone out, and called for some backup to take it back to the station. Then they all put gloves on, and began to count their haul.

It took them two hours, by which time Martin Robertson and his partner, who had been entrusted to take it back to the station, had joined them. Steve got them to count it again as they put it into some steel carrying boxes. In the end they had counted $258,395.00, twice!

Rae looked at her gloves they were filthy. "They won't have to dust all that money will they?"

"Do you know, I have no idea, and to be honest, right now, I don't really care!" Steve smiled over at her. "Give me a credit card any day." They gathered up some bills and receipts that they had found, locked up the apartment once again and headed for Steve's car. Rae looked at her watch, by the time she got to Community General it would probably be about ten, she could grab a bite to eat, and wait for Jesse.

She told Steve of her plan, and then sat back in the car thinking about what they had found. She couldn't quite get over the sight of all that money just lying under the bath. _Whatever would have happened if he'd sprung a leak!_

Steve pulled into the lot at Community General. Rae leant into the front and gave both men a kiss on the cheek. Then she got out of the car. As she was turning to go, Steve called her back.

"Rae, take care of yourself, and watch your back, ok?" She nodded. She had felt remarkably safe this afternoon with them both, but she hadn't forgotten her situation. She looked around her, and then headed for the main doors. She didn't think she was being watched, but she had to admit that in a wide-open space like the hospital parking lot, she couldn't really be sure.

Jesse was waiting in the ER by the reception desk and smiled at her as she got out of the elevator. He walked across and kissed her on the lips. She smiled at him. "What time are you starting in the morning, handsome?"

"Not till one again, same Sunday and then I've taken Monday off instead of Tuesday, so we can spend it together." Rae smiled again.

"That sounds wonderful. She looked around, how long until you're finished here?"

"About ten minutes, I have to go cash up at BBQ Bob's, then we can go home, how does that sound?"

"Great, but could we grab something to eat at Bob's, I'm starving, and I don't think I can cope with soup or breakfast cereal again!"

Fifteen minutes later they were on their way. No last minute patients had come in, Jesse had signed out happily and walked hand in hand with Rae out to his car.  She decided that she wouldn't tell him anything about what had happened until the morning. They could discuss things then.

Bob's was quite empty for a Friday night, but it was almost closing time. As Rae sat at the bar drinking a mineral water she heard the door open and looked around. "Hey, partner, fancy seeing you here!" Rae got up and moved over to stand next to Steve.

Jesse put his head round the door from the kitchen, smiled at his best friend and came out into the restaurant. "Hi, Steve, I thought it was my night to cash up."

"It is, but I needed something to eat, and I couldn't be bothered to cook." Steve looked at Rae "Course, sugar, you could always come and do it for me!" 

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Honey, my mama taught me how to really look after my man!" Rae used her Sheree wiggle as she went over to pick up another mineral water, and a beer for Steve. "There you go, darlin', don't drink it all at once, now!" She laughed as she felt Steve slap her butt, and she drank some of her own drink.

Jesse watched in confusion as they joked together. He had no idea what they were talking about. He didn't like the way he was feeling. He was about to try to find out what was going on when he heard the door.

Rae looked round again. "Hey, Phil, what are you doing here?"

Jesse checked his watch, Rae's order would be ready in the kitchen, he looked again at his best friend, sitting with Rae. _What are you thinking? They work together - she loves you, but get jealous and you'll lose her. Get over it!_

"Detective Yeager," the young photographer came over to where she was sitting. "I have been trying to get here all week. I heard your boyfriend tell Sarah that he owned the best BBQ restaurant in town, and I just love BBQ, so here I am."

"Well, we'll be closing in about half an hour, but you're welcome to join me, I've got some ribs coming out. I don't go for the hot and spicy ones, but they're really nice. Jesse walked out at that moment with a plate of ribs and some salad. He smiled across at the young man and shook his hand. 

"At least we got one new customer out of Rae's article even if your journalist friend didn't give us a mention!"

The four of them sat together, talked and ate. By the time the final rib had been consumed they were the last ones in the place. Phil wiped his mouth on the napkin and smiled. "Well, I don't think I want anybody else to know about this place. I would like to keep it a secret just for me! That was delicious." He stood up and took his wallet out of his pocket. 

"No, Phil, that's ok, it's my treat this time. Next time we're both here, you can pay."  Rae smiled at him as he put his wallet away.

Phil shook hands with Steve, Jesse and Rae, and then he headed off. 

Steve and Rae took the plates back through into the kitchen. Jesse could hear them laughing and wandered over to the hatch.

"Honey, my mama told me life's too short to wash up! I need a dishy man who can do my dishes!"

"Darlin', I'd wash up for you any time. I sure wouldn't want you getting dishpan hands!" Rae fluttered her eyelashes at him, blew him a kiss and, practicing her walk again, went across the room, finished loading the dishwasher and switched it on. 

"Hey, guys, I'm starting to feel left out.  What's the joke?"

"What?" Rae looked round. "Oh, you probably wouldn't understand, it's just something to do with the case we're working on." Rae smiled at him and Jesse, feeling a little deflated, turned away and began cashing up, fifteen minutes later Bob's was locked down tight for the night. 

Steve, Jesse and Rae headed off in different directions across the parking lot. Jesse's car was parked under a light and they stood together in the glow. Jesse ran his finger down her face and kissed her on her lips. He felt the familiar stirrings within him and probed deep into Rae's mouth with his tongue. "Oh, Rae, I've missed you this week, we only seem to be together when we're asleep. Let's go home, honey." Rae kissed him once more and then they moved apart. A few minutes later Jesse's car drew away, into the night.

**Friday **I spent all day today chasing her around town. She was with Steve Sloan and his dad, and she obviously isn't listening to me because I saw her kissing them again! I sent her the picture to let her know what I thought of her when she was dressed like that, and I spoke to her on the phone. She needs to know how much I care for her and she will. She'll realise that by doing all the things I tell her to her life will be so much better. I phoned her again, but he had her phone. I'll soon be teaching him a lesson. How dare he take her things when everything she is and everything she has are mine and mine alone?


	6. Footsteps 1st Saturday

**Saturday**

Rae lay quietly in bed, she needed a lie in, so why was it that she was wide-awake at half past seven in the morning? Jesse was fast asleep by her side, she was enjoying just being beside him, but she would enjoy it more if she was still asleep, _shut your eyes, Einstein, you aren't making any sense._  Suddenly she had an idea. She got out of bed, headed for the kitchen and picked up the phone. She dialled her ex-husband's number and waited for somebody to answer it.

"Hello, who is it please?"

"John, honey, is that you? It's mum."

"Hi, you know you sound really American, you've never called me honey before! How's it going? Are you back at work yet?"

"Yes, I started back on Monday. I haven't stopped since. But today I get to stay home until eleven so I thought I would call you."

"Mara and Patrick are both out, but Dad's here, if you want to speak to him." Rae could hear the hope in John's voice so she gave in.

"Ok, just for a minute, then let me talk to you again."

"Rae, how are you?" He sounded friendly, but a long way away. She had no argument with the man, and was surprised at how good his voice sounded.

"Fine, tired, but fine. You?"

"Good. The kids miss you, Rae; I miss you, too. I need to talk to you. Rae, I've met somebody else, somebody that the kids really like. I wanted to be the one to tell you."

"Oh, Tony, I'm so glad, did the children tell you that I had, too? His name is Jesse, and he's a doctor. He makes me very happy. I hope you're happy, too."

"I am and yes they did tell me. Listen I've got to go, I'll put John back on. Oh, Rae, take care of yourself, ok?" Rae heard Tony call out for John and realised how good she felt for him.

She saw the post come through the door. On the top was an envelope the same as the one she had received yesterday. _Oh, God, he knows where I live!_

"Mum, are you still there, Mum?"

Rae tried to pull herself back together for her son's sake. "John, I'm sorry. Listen, I've got to go. I'm really sorry. I'm moving into my own apartment on Monday. I'll ring you from there; let you have the address and everything, ok? Take care sweetheart… Yeah, I love you too."

Rae put the phone down, she realised that her hands were shaking. She hadn't had time yet to tell Jesse what had happened yesterday. They had both been so tired that they'd fallen asleep almost as soon as they got into bed. She tried to compose herself. She had no intention of opening the envelope until Jesse was awake, so there was no need to worry about it yet. She put the water on to boil and started up the coffee machine. Then she went and had a shower, suddenly she felt itchy. 

As she stood under the water jets she found that instead of it calming her, her panic was increasing. If he knew where she lived he could be watching her right now. He would know when she moved into her new place. _But at least it would put Jesse in less danger._ She thought of her gun on the nightstand and that made her feel even worse. This time last week she had never fired a gun in anger, now she had killed a man and she knew that if she came face to face with her stalker, she would have no hesitation in shooting him either.

As she came out of the shower room in search of some clothes, Jesse was sitting on the end of the bed, waiting for her. He stood up and pulled her towards him. She smiled a small tight smile, and he took her in his arms and began to kiss her. With difficulty Rae put her thoughts to the back of her mind, she could feel Jesse beginning to respond to her, and she tried to do the same.

Jesse ran his fingers through her hair; he'd been waiting nearly all week to do this. He pulled her back onto the bed with him and began to put his tongue into her mouth. She felt different to him, but he couldn't work out how. He ran his hands down out of her hair and his fingers began to trace patterns down her shoulders. He was careful not to touch her neck, because she'd told him that she couldn't even begin to let anybody touch her there. Rae started to stir under his fingers and he brought his mouth down over one of her breasts. Slowly they started to move together, there was no urgency about it. He had no inkling of what she was going through, and she tried to open herself up to him. Jesse moved his hand down towards her legs, but Rae knew that she just couldn't cope with it this morning.

"Jesse, please, don't!" She rolled away from him, but not before he had seen that her eyes were full of tears. "I can't do this, I'm sorry." 

"Rae, honey, what is it? Is it me? Did I do something? What's wrong?"

"No, Jess, it's not you, I just can't talk about it right now." Rae ran her fingers through her hair; and, suddenly embarrassed to be naked before him, she grabbed her clothes from yesterday and pulled them on. 

It was that more than anything that worried Jesse, they hadn't been together very long, but they had always been completely at ease with each other. He put his hand out to her, but she wouldn't take it. Suddenly he was angry, he'd told her that he was here for her, but she wouldn't let him in. "Rae, for God's sake, what's the matter with you, can't you trust me? Look at me, talk to me, now! I can't deal with the way you keep shutting me out. I love you, Rae, but I can't help you if you won't let me!"

"I can't do this, Jesse, I'm sorry."

She got up, and ran out of the room. Jesse heard the main door open and close, and she was gone. He sat there; he had no idea what just happened. He grabbed his clothes and pulled them on as he walked out into the living area, his mind whirring, trying to work out if it was something he'd said or done. As he walked over to the coffee machine he saw the post on the mat, and picked it up. There were three bills, and a large brown envelope, addressed to **Detective Inspector Reagan Yeager**. He wondered whether it had anything to do with her behaviour. He doubted it, but he just had to know.

He knew what he was going to do was wrong, but he picked up a kitchen knife and slit the envelope open. There was a letter inside it, and three photos. There were two of Rae and him, one of them was when they were going to get the groceries, and they'd been messing about with the trolley carts in the parking lot. The second one was of them walking into the station the morning he'd driven her into work. The third was of Rae and Steve also at the station. He hadn't see Rae in that outfit before. He thought a moment; it must be what she'd worn when they went to find out about photo shops. As he was about to look at the letter the phone rang.

"Rae, honey, is that you?" Jesse's voice was full of concern.

"Jesse, no it's Amanda, I guess she isn't there then?" Amanda's voice had a smile in it; Jesse's heart sank a little further. He was about to ruin her day.

"No, Amanda, she walked out on me about half an hour ago. There's something really wrong here. Look could you meet me at the beach house, I need to talk to Steve and Mark, and I don't want to do it on the phone."

After Amanda had agreed, Jesse dialled his best friend and waited for him to answer.

"Sloan here."

"Steve, it's Jesse. Listen, I need to come and see you, it's about Rae. Could I come now? I asked Amanda to come as well."

"Yeah sure. Jess, is she all right?"

"I don't know, Steve, she isn't here right now." 

"Ok, come over, I'll be waiting for you."

Jesse picked up the envelope and put the pictures and the letter back inside. He realised too late that he had put his fingerprints all over it. Then he headed for his car and made his way to Malibu, he put his phone on his lap and kept ringing Rae's number, but he got no reply.

Steve was waiting for Jesse when he arrived, and they went into the house together. About five minutes later Amanda arrived with CJ and Dion. 

They sat out on the deck and the boys watched Saturday morning T.V. Jesse began to speak. "I've tried to call her, but it just rings and rings, I don't know what the matter is, and I can't reach her. I don't mean on the phone, I can't get her to open up to me, to speak to me… I don't know what to do." He put his head in his hands. "I love her, I just want to help her. I don't know what's wrong, but I know it's serious. It is serious isn't it, Steve?" He looked over at his friend and Rae's partner; the worried look on Steve's face did nothing to ease his fears.

"She's got a stalker, Jesse, and she's scared, but you know what she's like, she won't admit it."

"Steve, she's out there on her own! I have to go back and find her. Anything could happen to her."

"There's no need to do that, Jess." They spun round to see Rae standing at the top of the small flight of steps that led into the living area. He held his arms out to her and she ran gratefully into them, finally the tears came and she let him see how scared she really was.

Mark went quietly into the kitchen to make her a drink, Amanda moved the boys down to Steve's apartment and turned the television on down there for them. Steve followed them down and, rather sheepishly, put his hand in his jacket pocket. "This is why Jesse couldn't reach her on the phone!"

"Oh, Steve! Why have you got it?"

"She gave it to me, because she didn't want to answer it any more and find it was her stalker. He has her cell number!"

"Oh, I see. Jesse's right, this is serious, isn't it, Steve?"

"Yeah, it is, there's more than you or Jesse know. I think we had better go upstairs and talk about this; she's going to crack otherwise. I need her on the case we're working, and more to the point, she needs to be on it."

They walked back up the stairs together. Amanda walked over to her friend, who was sitting on the sofa with her head on Jesse's shoulder. "Rae, you know we're here for you, don't you? We won't think any less of you, if you tell us when you're frightened or scared. You're our friend and we love you." She could see that Rae was still resisting the advances of her friends. "Put it this way, if it was me being stalked, you would want to help all you could, wouldn't you?"

Rae nodded, and a small smile played on her lips. "Well, that's how we feel. We want to help, please let us." Rae stood up and Amanda hugged her. "I value our friendship, it's new and special. I want it to continue."

"Thank you, Amanda, I'm sorry, I just find it so difficult to open up, I've never done it, sometimes because there was nobody to listen, sometimes because I didn't know how to, but mainly because it has always seemed a sign of weakness to me and I can't afford to be weak." She sat down again; the confession seemed to take a lot of effort. 

Steve came over to Rae, "Have you told Jesse any of what happened up until yesterday apart from the hang up calls?" When she shook her head he continued. "Then I think it's about time you did, don't you?"

"Yes, I guess so." Slowly Rae told Jesse about the flowers, and the vicious call she had got yesterday. When she mentioned the photo and the letter that came to the station Jesse remembered the one they'd received. He'd left it in the car. He went quickly out to get it and was soon back.

"This came this morning, did you know, Rae?"

She nodded, "Yeah, that was what finished me off. He knows where I live, Jesse, more to the point, he knows where **you** live, and he's a jealous man, I can't risk you getting hurt, thank goodness I'm moving out on Monday. Did you read the letter or look at the picture?"

"I haven't read the letter, and there were three pictures. Do you want to see?"

"No, but I will." They headed back to the table and Jesse took the stuff out of the envelope again. "Sorry, Steve, I didn't think about fingerprints until it was too late. I just opened it."

"Never mind, it's too late now, hold things by corners, and we'll dust it later.  We dusted the one at the precinct, and there weren't any prints. So, what have we got this time?" Steve was trying to be detached about it, even though he felt anything but. Jesse spread the three pictures on the tabletop. "We had this one yesterday," Steve pointed at the one of him and Rae.

"Nice outfit, you don't dress like that for me!" Jesse smiled over at Rae, and got a small smile in return. 

"When were the other's taken?" Steve looked at them.

"Hold on," Mark picked up one of the pictures, and turned it over. "This is date catalogued on the back. It was taken at the supermarket on Tuesday. The second one was taken of Jesse and Rae at the station on Thursday morning and the one of Steve and Rae was taken on Wednesday."

Rae looked horrified. "He's following me all the time! Doesn't he have a job to go to, or a life of his own?"

"Probably not, he **is** living his life, through you."

"Oh, great! Mark, what am I going to do?" 

"Have you got in touch with the station to report this officially?" Rae shook her head. "Right then, that's what we're going to do first. Steve, can you get started on that?"

Steve nodded and picked up the phone. "I'll get an officer to come to the house, you can talk to them here. Then maybe if you think you need it we can get a threat management team out to discuss what you can do. 

Jesse had been reading the letter, now he got up. "I'm going to see what I can find out on the Internet, honey, maybe we can get some information. I haven't had to deal with this before, none of us have. We could do with a little help."

"Jess, what did the note say?" Jesse shook his head. "Jesse, I have to see it, please." He held it out to her and with trembling fingers she took it. She began to read it out loud.

**"**_Did you think I don't know where you live? I know everything important there is to know about you. You drink herbal tea, you like Michael Ball, you wear nothing when you're in bed. I see you all the time, because you are mine. Warn your doctor friend, his time with you is limited. You will know when you won't be able to see him any more. Does he know that you kiss so many people every day? What does he think of you in that photo with Steve, does he know he sleeps with a TRAMP!? I have warned you, but only because I love you. Things will be different when you live with me_.**"**

Rae's hand had covered her mouth when she got to the part that said she slept in the nude and she had read the rest silently. She thought she'd been scared before, but she knew that was nothing to how she felt now. She handed the letter to Steve and then got up and walked out to the edge of the deck. There were quite a few people on the beach. The day was bright and clear, just the type of day she would have liked to spend on the sand, but now she felt hounded and victimised. She looked around, any of the people down there could be the one, could be her stalker. She shivered; she knew she wouldn't be able to relax enough to enjoy the beach for a while, whoever she was with. She felt a hand on her shoulder; she jumped and turned round to see Steve standing behind her.

"Rae, I'm sorry.  I phoned the station. I spoke to the Chief and I'm going to go in a bit later, he would like you to come as well if you feel up to it. The officer will see you here first; she'll be about twenty minutes. Why don't you go and lie down in your room until she gets here?" Rae just nodded; she was glad that the Chief wanted her in. Maybe she wouldn't dwell so much if she had other things to do. But Steve was right; twenty minutes on the bed would be very welcome.

Jesse got up from the computer and walked over to her. "Come on, if you'll let me I'd like to stay with you."

"Yes, please." She smiled at him and they walked off together. Once they'd got inside her room, she closed the door and turned back towards him. "Oh, Jesse, I'm so sorry I caused you so much pain this morning. I do love you, with all my heart, and even though part of me wants you to go away from me, so that you won't get hurt, I don't think I'll be able to get through this without you."

"I've told you before, I'm not going anywhere. Now come on, lay on the bed and I'll stay with you." Rae did as she was told and made herself comfortable on top of the covers. She smiled at him, and he lay down beside her. Rae shut her eyes and tried to clear her mind. She must have been successful; because the next thing she knew Jesse was gently stroking her face and calling to her. "Rae, sweetheart, the police officer is here to see you. Rae, come on, baby, it's time to wake up."

She slowly opened her eyes. She couldn't remember why she needed to talk to an officer, and then it all came rushing back at her. For a moment she was so overwhelmed by the feelings that her head started to swim and she thought she was going to pass out.

"Rae, Rae, come on, sit on the edge of the bed and put your head down for a minute, you'll be ok." 

Steve, who had been standing by the door, indicated for the other police officer to come into the room. He wanted her to see how this was affecting Rae; because he had a feeling she would find it very difficult to share her emotions with the officer herself.

The officer's name was Jan Burlington. She was an experienced female officer, and spent most of her time helping the victims of rape and stalking incidents. She walked over to where Rae was and crouched down in front of her. "Detective, can you look at me?" Rae nodded and looked slowly into a friendly, concerned face. She'd seen the officer at the precinct, but she didn't know her.

"I think you and I need to talk, don't you? Can you do that now, or would you like me to wait a few minutes?" She saw Rae concentrate on getting her feelings under control.

"Yes, I can do that. I think I need to do this now, before I become completely unhinged." Jesse was amazed, he hadn't ever heard Rae speak like that to a stranger, he felt his confidence rise. He stood up.

"I'll see you in a while, honey, ok?" He leant over and kissed her on the lips, and Rae put her hand up and gently touched him. Then he left the room and took Steve with him.

Jesse walked over to the computer, went back into his search engine and started to get some information on stalking. He was amazed at the number of sites that there were. Soon he had printed out about fifteen pages of information. He went into the kitchen, made himself a coffee, picked up the pile of papers and went out to read them in the sunshine.

Rae and Jan sat on the bed, and slowly Rae explained to her what had happened to date. She'd got her feelings a little more under control now and she was lucid and concise with her explanation.

Once Rae had finished Jan put her hand over hers. "I know you're scared, Detective, you wouldn't be human if you weren't. But he will slip up, and then we'll get him. You're lucky, because you're a cop, and he's sent or delivered things to the station, everything has been catalogued for you. Now we'll discuss what we're going to do to make you feel safer. I think it would be a good idea if we went back into the other room so that you can discuss this with your partner."

Rae smiled at her, "Which one?"

"Pardon?" Jan looked a little puzzled.

"Well, Steve is my partner at work, and Jesse is my partner, for ever I hope." Rae smiled, it was a friendly open smile, and Jan did the same. They walked back into the main house, and out onto the deck.

"You have a beautiful house, Lieutenant, what a wonderful view," Jan Burlington looked out at the waves as they smoothly met the sand. "Just the place to come to at the end of a stressful day."

"Thank you, and it's Steve."

"Jan."

Steve smiled. "This is my dad, Dr. Mark Sloan, he is a medical consultant to the department, Dr. Amanda Bentley, who is a county pathologist, and, Dr. Jesse Travis, who's my business partner and Rae's well, everything partner, I guess."

Rae felt herself blush, but she knew that Steve had read the latest letter. There really wasn't any reason to do so.

"So, Jan, what can you tell us, from what you've heard so far?" Mark looked very concerned. He couldn't believe that this was happening to Rae so soon after her attack by Leticia Howard. 

"Well, I think that Rae has what we would call a predatory stalker. This type of person enjoys the power and control that he can gain from stalking. He tries to learn all he can about his victim, and he certainly seems to have done just that. He may have a history of sexual offences, and he could cause harm to Rae, Steve, Jesse, or maybe all of you, if he gets the chance. While you're over here from London, Rae, can you carry a gun?" Rae nodded. "I know that most of what I'm going to say will worry you, all of you, but I need you to realise the seriousness of this situation. So I will go through everything, and answer your questions as I go, is that ok?"

They all nodded. Jesse moved his chair round so that he was sitting next to Rae, and took her hand in his. Jan saw this, and smiled at him. She knew that they could be being watched at this very moment. Every time Jesse made physical contact with Rae he was increasing the potential danger to himself, but she also knew that Rae would feel more relaxed with him next to her.

"Right, first of all, even though I know you don't think so, you probably know the person who is stalking you. So all the preventative measures I discuss with you, you'll need to remember, whoever you're with. Anyone who's paying you more attention than you want, be extra cautious. You're a cop, you work on initiative and intuition anyway, so heed it, if you are scared or wary of somebody, then get the hell out!"

Rae was listening intently to what Jan was saying, but another part of her mind was trying to put a face to the person who seemed intent on ruining her life. 

"Has anybody asked you out recently, or been too friendly, and you've had to let them down gently?"

"No, the only person who has asked me out is Jesse, and I said yes. You're saying that anybody who makes friendly overtures to me could be my stalker?" Rae stopped talking, she ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly everybody had turned into a bad guy. She was a friendly person and she hated it.

"What did you do with the flowers that he sent you?"

"I took them down to Steve's car. We were going to drop them off to the hospital for someone who didn't normally get any flowers, but we got so busy that we forgot and they ended up in a dumpster."

"Well, I would say that he certainly saw you with them, when you left the station probably. He would have been waiting for a reaction. Whether he saw you dump them I don't know, but I doubt it. I think you would know if he had. Next time, just get rid of them."

"Ok, but maybe he won't send me any more." She didn't really believe this, but she said it anyway.

"Is he likely to send her anything dangerous?" It was Jesse that spoke.

"I don't know, Dr. Travis, his letters seem quite threatening and he suggested violence on the phone, but sometimes, that's as far as it goes. 

"Oh, I see. And it's Jesse." He smiled at her, but she knew that he was worried. She had a feeling he needed to be.

"He's taking pictures of her, lots of pictures, so he is obviously somebody who has time to follow her around. You need to contact the police if ever you see anything suspicious. I know you **are** the police, but you need to get in touch with me, ok? Don't think that because you're a cop that you can handle it yourself. You can't. I wouldn't dream of handling a homicide investigation on my own, I wouldn't have the experience. You haven't either."

"What can we do about the mail he's sending me? What about a private post office box?"

"Yeah, good idea. You need to make sure that all your private details stay that way too. Keep all your credit cards details to yourself. Have an email address that doesn't identify you."

"You know I hadn't thought of half of this. I'm getting scared, and it's not happening to me." Amanda had been sitting quietly next to Mark; Rae noticed that he had his hand over hers. 

"I'm sorry, Amanda, I didn't mean to involve you in all of this." Rae smiled apologetically at her.

"Hey, it's all right, don't worry about it. I want to help, and I can't if I don't have all the information."

"I hope it goes without saying to lock all your doors and windows, make sure that you have blinds up at your bedroom and bathroom windows. Do you have any pets?"

"Just Jesse!" Steve looked apologetic, but he couldn't help it. Rae stuck her tongue out at him. Then she smiled. She was glad that he could joke it made her feel better.

As Jan went to start speaking again, Rae's cell phone started to ring. Steve went to pick it up, but Rae stopped him, "No, I'll do this."

"Hello?"

**"**_Well, good afternoon, Detective, how are you? … Well never mind, I prefer to do all the talking anyway_ …**"**

 Rae signalled to Jan and she put her ear up to the phone. They could both hear the distorted voice on the other end.

**"**_I saw you chatting with all your little friends. You won't need them for much longer. Remember, when we're together it will be just you and me, baby. I like the clothes you have on; you wore them yesterday, didn't you. You seem to have another friend there today. I haven't seen her with you before, but I'll find out why she is … still nothing to say, babe? Enjoy your day at the beach then, ciao_.**"**

Rae shut off the phone. "He was here, somewhere out on the beach. He was watching us. She stood up and threw her phone across the deck. It shattered and pieces of it went everywhere. "How dare he do this to me! This is my life, not his." She walked away from them and started down the steps to the beach. 

Steve put out his hand to stop her. "Don't worry, Rae, California was the first state to enact anti stalking legislation, you'll be ok."

Shocked at the naivety of his statement Rae turned on him. "Oh, that makes me feel so much better! I'll be ok! Do I look ok? Steve, the law can't do **anything** to help me. It can't protect me in my own home, or my work place, which is a police station for God's sake!  All it can do is offer me the chance to get a restraining order, but I have to know who's after me to do that." Rae shrugged his hand off her arm and headed down the steps.

"Go after her, Steve, she shouldn't be on her own. Not on this beach, it's too open, he could get to her too easily." Jan was concerned, but she knew that she would be of little help at the moment.

Steve ran down the steps after her, and with his long legs, he caught up with her in just a few strides. "Rae… Detective, I'm talking to you! I suggest you stop walking, before I arrest you."

"Oh, so you can arrest **me **Lieutenant!**" **Rae's voice was raised; Jesse and Jan could hear every word from the deck. "I am the victim here, somebody is invading my life, and the only thing you can do is arrest me! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

Rae moved away from him, and then started to talk again. It was as if the distance between them made the words easier to say. "I feel vulnerable, Steve, it's not a feeling I'm used to and I don't like it..." She trailed off.

"Rae, I'm sorry, I know this is difficult, but we **will** get him. I promise.

Rae turned and began walking away again. Steve tried to reason with her.

"Rae, I understand how you feel, but..."

 "You understand, hah! How can you possibly understand? Look at you; tall, strong and **male**, you haven't got any idea. Get real, Steve. You're working with your hands tied behind your back. Oh, just leave me alone. Go back and talk amongst yourselves and Leave Me Alone. Let him come and get me, maybe then you can do something to help."

"Detective, I will arrest you, for interfering in a police investigation."

"You wouldn't dare!" Rae turned to him, he recognised the blazing look in her eyes, and he continued to goad her.

"Just try me, walk away from me and I **will** take you in, for your own safety." She took another step, and Steve grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. She began punching and thumping his chest.

Jesse was watching from the deck, he saw her turn on Steve and went to head down after them. Amanda put her hand on his arm. "No, Jesse, let Steve do it. He doesn't love her the way you do. Let them finish this themselves." The phone rang inside the house. Jesse took a deep breath and willed himself inside to answer it.

Steve stood still, she wasn't hurting him and he let her continue. He could see the tears pouring down her face. His heart went out to her; he knew how hard it was for her to cry in front of him. After a few minutes the anger had been used up, and gradually the thumping subsided, but the sobbing didn't. Steve held her in his arms and gently he eased her onto the sand. They sat together for a long time. Slowly the tears stopped as well, but still neither of them spoke. They both knew that there was no need. 

Eventually Rae turned her face up to his. "If I stay here any longer, I'll fall asleep. Thank you, Steve; I couldn't have done that with Jesse. I would have hurt him even more, and I can't do that to him."

**Saturday **How could I have let myself get involved with such a slut? The first time I met her she seemed so nice and friendly, but now I know it is just an excuse to get every man to herself. I stood this afternoon and watched her fight with her partner, and then they lay down on the beach and went to sleep together. I could have got rid of him right there and then, but it's no fun if they don't know what is happening to them. Still, I got some nice photos of them together. I wonder what her doctor friend will think of them. Nothing probably, he is so stupid, he thinks she loves just him when she flirts with everybody. 

About half an hour later, Mark walked down the beach towards them. He didn't want to interrupt, but they had been outside for just over an hour and Officer Burlington had already had to leave to go back to the precinct.

"Rae, sweetie, are you ok?" There was no response. When Mark looked down at them, he realised they were both fast asleep. Part of him wanted to leave them there, but he knew that it wasn't safe for Rae to be out here in such a vulnerable position for so long, or Steve for that matter. He put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Son, you need to wake up." Steve jumped. 

"What, Dad?" He couldn't believe he had nodded off. He looked down at Rae; she was still in a deep sleep. He sat up slipped his arm underneath her and with a little effort gently lifted her up. Then he followed his father up the beach. As he got to the top of the steps Jesse, came rushing out of the house. 

"My God, Mark, what happened? Is she ok?" He looked across at Steve, who was holding Rae so easily in his arms, but it was Mark who put his finger to his lips. It was too late however, and he could see her stirring in Steve's arms. 

"She was only asleep, Jess, she's fine." Steve put her down on the sofa and she stretched. 

Rae had a half smile on her face, "I guess that wasn't very safety conscious was it?" She looked at her watch, "Good grief, we're going to get fired, Steve, it's gone four in the afternoon!"

Steve looked horrified. Jesse spoke up. "Hey, it's fine. The Chief called, Mark filled him in on what was happening, and he said to come in at eight tomorrow instead of today. I hope that's ok, because we said it was!"

Amanda came up with the boys from Steve's apartment. Rae smiled at them, they had been so good down there, she'd forgotten they were even here. "Hey, guys, how are you? How about I shout you a trip to Disneyland, when Uncle Steve and I finish our case? To thank you for being so good today?"

Dion and CJ looked puzzled. "Why are you gonna shout, Rae, what did we do?" Dion turned to his mom and then back to Rae.

Rae smiled at them, "Oh, sorry, if you shout something in England it means you will pay for it. I will take you to Disneyland when this is all over, ok?"

"Oh, yeah!" Dion's face was split with a wide grin

"Cool!" Both boys' faces were beaming.

"I guess that's a date then. I'll let your mum know when Jesse and I can do that, ok?"

"Uncle Jesse too, great!" CJ touched Rae's hand and she smiled down at the boy.

"Rae, you don't have to, it's so expensive there." Amanda looked concerned in case Rae was unaware of the costs.

"I know, Amanda, but I can't do it for my own children, so this is as much for me as for CJ and Dion."  She turned to Jesse.

"You know, I think we could go back home now. I wanted to tidy up my apartment while there was no furniture in it. You could even give me a hand if you like." She smiled at Jesse. "Don't say anything, Jess, I'm not going to let this guy push me around." She sounded much braver than she felt, but she knew that she wanted to get the apartment sorted out and her life as well.

By the time they had said their goodbyes, and Rae had assured Steve that she would be fine it was a quarter to five. She had suddenly remembered that her car would be ready, and so they had headed over to pick up Tom. Now she was following Jesse home, happy once again in her little car. She parked it where it could be seen from both apartments. She'd had an alarm fitted to it, and she set this. Then she headed for the stairs. 

Jesse was waiting for her, and as they walked up the steps together Rae realised that this is how it would be from now on. She would be living permanently in this building, and whenever they went out together, they could come home together, too.

They went into Jesse's apartment first. There was a brown envelope on the mat, Rae saw it and took a step back. "No, not again." 

Jesse picked it up. "It's alright, Rae, look." He held it up and she could see that it said 'Jesse's Lady' on it. 

"Sorry, Jess, I'm just so spooked right now." She opened it and inside was the key and a new home card. Rae smiled and put them down on the counter. Then she put out her hand, and Jesse took it. She pulled him towards her and kissed him hard on the lips. She ran her fingers over his shoulders and enjoyed the moment. As she opened her eyes, she saw him looking intently at her and a laugh burst from her lips. "What, what did I do?"

"You know, I think I'm going to have much more fun with you than I ever did with Miss Diego!"

"Hey, you'd better! Come on, grab a cloth and the Hoover and we can get started next door." Rae had bought some cream cleaner and cloths when they went shopping, they'd been for Jesse's apartment, but they would do fine for her own. 

She smiled and took the key in her left hand. Then she walked across the hallway and opened the door. As she entered Jesse could see her eyes grow wide. He followed her in. Where there had once been shelves covered in all of Miss Diego's knick knacks there were now white shapes on an off white wall. "It looked clean when all her stuff was in here, but now look at it, uugh!"

She went over to the counter in the kitchen, and put the bucket from under Jesse's sink on the side. She let the water run warm, and then she half filled the bucket. She walked over to the wall, squirted the cleaner into the water, and then rung out her cloth. She wiped it across the wall; the effect was instantaneous. "Thank goodness for that, at least it won't take long to get off. What's the rest of the place like?" The bedroom was the same as the main living area you could see where the pictures had been on the wall, even where the tissue box had been on the windowsill. The bathroom was fine; the presence of the steam had kept the dust and grime at bay she guessed. Still she would clean it from top to bottom anyway.

When she went back into the other room she couldn't see Jesse anywhere, "Jesse, where are you? This place is too small to get lost in!"

"Under here," a muffled voice sounded from behind the kitchen counter.

"What **are** you doing?" 

"I started to clean the cupboards under here, but I think I must've got caught somewhere, because now I can't move!" Rae went around him to try and find out what the problem was. She soon saw. There was a hook hanging down from the top of the cupboard. Jesse's sweatshirt was hooked over it and where he'd struggled, he now couldn't move, either backwards or forwards.

"You know I could leave you there, then I would always have something to stand on when I needed to reach the top cupboards, or a seat if I got tired while cooking. I could keep the laundry basket on you, or stack my newspapers there. If I got a cat it could be its feeding place, Oooh the options are endless." She reached into the cupboard and tickled him under the arms. He jerked upwards and Rae heard his head hit the top of the cupboard.

"Ow! Rae! Ok, the fun's over, could you please release me before I seize up completely!"

"Actually, I think it would be easier if you just took your top off." Jesse started to struggle out of it. By the time he'd got both arms out Rae was in a heap in the corner, tears of laughter rolling down her cheeks. But when she saw that he was only held in by the neck of the top it was a little too close to home for her and she eased him out of cupboard and into her arms. But she was still giggling and the release was enormous_ for both of us!_ This time it was Jesse who stuck his tongue out at Rae. Still laughing she went back over to the wall, and carried on getting rid of the marks. 

It might have been an easy job, but it was almost ten o'clock before all the walls had been wiped down. Rae then started to clean the carpet with the vacuum cleaner, "You know, I think I need to hire one of those foam cleaner things. This carpet is supposed to be the same colour as yours!"

"We could get one tomorrow, then the carpet would have two days to dry before the furniture arrives."

Rae smiled at him. She was feeling much more relaxed now. She was no fool, she knew that her invisible 'friend' could be watching her, but she had got herself back under control, and she wasn't about to let him spoil her time with Jesse.

By ten thirty they had both had enough. Rae locked the door, and they headed back to Jesse's. 

"You know the journey back from your place sure is lousy, I'll have to plan in advance to make sure I'm not caught up in traffic!" Jesse smiled over at Rae as they sat on the sofa, a drink each. It had been an exhausting day, both mentally, and physically, and they were both quite drained. Jesse took a breath. "Do you fancy a shower?" Rae smiled over at him, and nodded her head. He took her hand and walked towards the bathroom.

They went inside and shut the door. Rae realised that she was safe in here; there were no windows. She began to kiss Jesse, and as she went to take his top off she could feel the bump at the back where it had been caught up. She smiled at the memory and pulled it over his head. She ran her hands down his chest. He was a small man, not much taller than she was, but she liked the feel of his muscles beneath her fingertips. 

Jesse looked over at this desirable woman whom he loved. He had a feeling that either Steve or himself might be called on to defend her in the not to distance future. There was no doubt in his mind that he would do whatever it took, to keep her safe, and with him. He took her clothes off slowly and carefully, and held her at arms length, "You're a beautiful woman, Rae Yeager. Come here." Soon they were kissing and exploring each other's bodies with a passion that would have been impossible that morning. Suddenly she didn't want to be safe, she was letting 'him' win that way. If they were careful she would be fine. 

Rae leant towards his ear, "I want to go into the bedroom, we'll be ok, if the blind is pulled, won't we?" Jesse nodded, and went out of the room. Once he'd finished his task he came back for her and pulled her down onto the bed. "Jesse, please, just be yourself, forget all we heard today. I want you to make love to me, the real me, not somebody who has to watch her every move, please."

He moved over her then and began to kiss her on her eyes and then on her cheeks, he ran his tongue over her lips. He placed his finger on her face for a second and she opened her eyes. She watched him kiss the finger and then he gently placed it on her neck. It was the first time he had touched her there since she was attacked; she shivered. She put her own finger to his lips, and as he went to kiss it she moved it slightly away from him, he tried again, she kept moving it until his lips were brushing her throat. She looked at him, "I know you'll never hurt me." He was deeply moved by the intensity of her gaze, and the trust she had shown him. He placed his lips in the dip at the base of her graceful throat. He kissed it, just once, and then he moved on further down her body. He would return there, but not tonight.

Slowly he felt her body come alive under his touch. He ran his tongue over her breasts, and this time as he ran his hand down towards her legs, he felt her body rise, and open up for him. He placed two fingers inside her, and felt her tighten around him. As he moved he could see that she had tears in her eyes. He went to stop, but she looked up at him. 

"No, I don't want you to stop." Her body moved in time with his, and her breathing got deeper. Slowly, she moved her hands down the sides of his body and gently pushed him onto the bed. As he lay there he felt her move his hand out of her, and her lips go over his hard organ. Her breath was warm and wet on him. She moved herself up and down until he felt that he was going to come undone and fly into a thousand pieces. She slowly and sensually moved her mouth up to his tip, then she moved away from him. 

He opened his eyes, and saw that she was raised above him; she lowered herself onto him once again as she had the other evening. He heard her moan as she took him completely inside her, soon she was moving in a fast steady rhythm, and he knew that he was finished. "Oh, Rae, are you ready, honey? I can't hold it any longer, please... say you're ready." He looked at her, and he could tell by her face that she was. 

She nodded, and then said, "Now, Jesse, now!"

That was all the encouragement he needed, he felt himself falling over the edge of something wonderful, and he heard her call out his name loudly. He could hear the tears in her voice, but he knew now that she would share with him what was wrong when she felt able. Slowly she rolled over, and rested her head on his chest. He could feel the emotion inside her bubbling near the surface, he wasn't sure if it would come out tonight or not, but she knew he was there for her, and that was enough for him.

After a while Rae looked up at Jesse. She ran her finger down his face, and he looked into her eyes. What he saw there made his heart beat faster. Her eyes were full of all the love and trust he could ever need. 

"Jess, I need to explain a few things. My feelings are so mixed up that when we make love, and I give myself to you so completely, they escape and overwhelm me. I know you'll always be gentle with me. I trust you with my life, my soul and my heart, but sometimes I just can't share with you. I love you, Jess, I need you to be patient with me, please."

"Rae, shhh," He put a finger to her lips. "I'll be here, you know that, whenever you find you can talk, I'll listen. When you can't, I'll wait."

He put his arms around her and began to kiss her again. No words were said, or needed, they were together, and that was where they both belonged.

**Saturday **So, she's got a new apartment has she? I guess her doctor friend is beginning to realise just what she's really like. She won't get much chance to live there before she's here with me, but still I'll be interested to see how she lives on her own. I need to know that we'll be compatible, once she's with me, working for me and only me, she'll have plenty of time for cleaning and tidying. That is what women are for after all. I saw her this afternoon trying to make her friends feel sorry for her, because she was frightened by what I was doing. So she should be, she doesn't behave how a woman of mine should and until she learns her lesson she will continue to be afraid, extremely afraid. I had to write about her behaviour again, it makes me sad to have to do this but she deserves it. I decided to send it somewhere else this time, as she doesn't seem to have improved her manners and I have already sent her two letters.


	7. Footsteps 1st Sunday

**1st Sunday**

Jesse was awake first on Sunday, he'd never slept with the blind completely drawn before, he knew he would have to while Rae was with him, but he hated it. He got up just after seven, and padded out to the kitchen. As he got there the phone began to ring. He rushed to pick it up before it woke Rae. "Jesse Travis…oh, hi, Mark, no, I haven't been out to get one yet…what? How come you have one so early? … Oh, right… He doesn't ease up does he…? No I'll get it and no I won't show it to her. Have you contacted Officer Burlington…? It is a bit early I guess... Yeah, ok. See you later. Bye." He put the phone back down quickly, but as he looked up he saw Rae standing in the doorway.

"We've got a problem haven't we?" There was no doubt in her voice.

"No, Rae, it's ok, honey. Go back to bed, I can deal with this."

"Jess, talk to me. You said you needed me to be open with you. Do me the courtesy of treating me the same way."

Jesse knew when he was beaten. As he spoke again his voice was soft. "We need to get a Sunday Comet." 

"A Sunday what?"

"A Sunday Comet, Steve once described it as 'the scum of the earth Comet' and they didn't do me any favours one time either."

"Oh, I see." Rae headed back towards the bedroom, and Jesse followed her. They both got dressed in silence, and wandered out together to the newsstand. As they walked Jesse told Rae about the time he had lost five days, and thought he had been abducted by aliens and how the article about it in the Comet had almost cost him his credibility. 

Jesse paid for the paper, and they headed back towards the apartment house. As Rae spread the paper out on the work surface she glanced up at the clock. It was just about eight o'clock.  Jesse opened the paper and flicked through it, Mark had told him what page to look for, and if they hadn't known, their picture was on the front cover.

'_English Cop is No Shy English Rose'_

A Comet Special Reporter 

_Sexy British cop, Reagan Yeager, is certainly not a retiring flower when it comes to getting to know the inhabitants of our fair city. Pictured here in the arms of her lover, Jesse Travis, Reagan, 36, certainly seems to be making herself feel right at home._

_Already involved in one high profile case, she seems far from the stereotype of the reserved personality usually associated with the British. Rumours abound about the small, slim, dark haired beauty,_ _who seems to be an extroverted, and some would say, over friendly woman. She has been seen not only with Mr. Travis, but also kissing, as well as fighting, with her new_ _partner, Steve Sloan. As shown in the second picture she is also more than at home in his arms too._

_The Comet has many more pictures of the lovely Ms Yeager, which we hope to show before too long. Let us know what you think of her, and maybe we will even be able to get an interview with her to discuss her likes and dislikes, in the bedroom, as well as elsewhere. _

If you have any questions you would like to ask leave them on our question hotline quoting Raunchy Reagan on 555-1234

Rae was speechless. She ran her fingers through her hair, and then rubbed at her eyes. She would not let this get to her. "Who wrote it, Jess? Is there a by line on it?"

Jesse looked at the article again. He shook his head. "No, the article has the by line of 'A Comet Special Reporter' Rae, sweetheart, we'll deal with it. We need to take this to the station. Let's go and talk to Jan."

"Look at the pictures, Jesse, the one of Steve and me, that was taken yesterday on the beach when we both fell asleep. But the others, they were taken here, in your bedroom." Rae fell silent. She felt herself go cold inside and out, and had to hold on to the kitchen counter to stop herself from collapsing. "He was in here, watching us. My God, Jesse." She could say no more; she rested her head on the counter. Jesse put his arm around her.

"Come and sit on the bed, Rae, I'm gonna have a look around. It's just the shock, you'll be ok again in a minute." 

Rae just nodded. She couldn't take this all in. She had felt safe in here, in Jesse's flat, and especially in his arms, now this creep, this pervert had taken that away from her.

"Rae, honey, can you come over here?" Jesse's voice was muffled. He backed out of the closet and looked at her. His face was set; he had no expression at all. Rae thought that he was probably furious. As he spoke again she knew she was right. "I need you to see this, and then we have to get on to Steve." He walked across the room and picked up the first ornament he came to, it was a glass paperweight; he hurled it across the room. It struck the wall just next to the doorway and shattered into a thousand pieces. Jesse grabbed Rae by the hand and pulled her off the bed.

"Jess, don't, you're hurting me." Rae reached out and touched his face. "It's all right, Jesse, we'll get through this, together. I know what you found, it's a camera of some sort isn't it?"

Jesse nodded. He was still having trouble keeping his temper in check. He very rarely lost control, but he was having a real problem at the moment. "It's not just a camera, Rae, it's a video camera. He's been watching us, everything we do, and maybe, everything we say. He's been getting his kicks watching you with me." With that Jesse turned and left the bedroom. Rae heard him in the other room and moved over to the door.

"Steve, it's Jesse, I need you to get a team over to my apartment right away. He's put a camera in the closet in my bedroom. No, we'll come in as soon as they arrive. If I don't get out of here I'm gonna break something or somebody."

"Jess, we need to talk, before anybody gets here, and before we head to the station." Rae walked across and put her arm on Jesse's shoulder, but he moved away from her touch. "Jesse, look at me. Do you believe what it says in that article? That I'm at home in Steve's arms? Is that what's bothering you, as well as the camera?"

"Do you want him, Rae? Do you want to be with him as well as me? Isn't working with him enough? I saw you at Bob's the other night remember? Laughing and talking about things you said I wouldn't understand. Maybe you're trying us both out and then you're going to pick the one that suits you best." 

Rae's hand had slapped Jesse across the face before the last word had left his lips. "How dare you!" The words were hissed more than spoken. "How dare you say that to me. I have shared my innermost secrets with you, **Doctor** Travis! I trust you... I love you, Jess. But maybe that means nothing to you, or at least not as much as I thought."

Jesse was filled with shame. He put his hand to his face where Rae had hit him. He knew he deserved it. "Oh, God, honey, I'm so sorry." He moved towards her, she turned to him and what he saw made his heart drop like a stone. He had hurt her, he'd known that as he said it, but the pain in her eyes was endless. "Rae, I'm sorry.  Hold me, please; I'm so scared for you. Rae, help me, I need you to help me take back what I said."

"I can't do that, Jess." The words came out as a whisper. "I wish that I could. I love you, Jesse; we can't let this guy tear us apart. We have to stay strong in spite of what he does. I need you just as much as you need me." She moved towards him then and kissed him gently on the lips. They put their arms around each other and cried together.

By the time the SCU team had arrived twenty minutes later they had both got themselves under control and were ready to leave for the station. Once they could talk with Steve and Jan maybe things would start to improve. 

They walked hand in hand into the precinct; Rae thought they were probably being snapped right then, but she and Jesse had planned to show a united front at every opportunity.

They saw the back of Martin Robertson heading up the stairs as they entered. Bob was once again on the desk. Rae walked up to him. "Hi, Bob, you know, when my children were small they thought all their teachers lived in school. I'm beginning to feel that way about you!"

The smile on Bob's face seemed, to Rae, a little forced. _Maybe I'm just being over sensitive._ "I finish in half an hour, Detective. Then I'm not back until Monday." He turned away from her, and Rae knew she was being dismissed, but she wasn't finished yet.

"Have I had any deliveries, or any mail yet today?"

"No, Detective, apart from my twenty minutes for a bite to eat I have been here all night, Officer Robertson covered for me then. It is Sunday, Detective, there is no post here on a Sunday." She was right; Rae knew she was definitely being dismissed.

"Thank you… Sergeant."

Rae and Jesse climbed the stairs, and as they entered the squad room Rae saw that Steve was sitting at his desk. He stood as he saw Rae enter. His face was troubled, more so than she had expected and her heart sank even further. "What's happened?"

He stood silently. "Steve, what's happened?" He motioned her into the Chief's office; he'd never had so much contact with the man. Because of Rae's position here, he'd been bypassing the Captain for six weeks. On the desk was a copy of the Sunday Comet, and another beautiful bouquet of flowers, mainly roses. There was an envelope with it. Rae looked at Steve, "Has it been dusted?" he nodded.

She reluctantly opened the envelope.

"Oh, my God!" Rae took an involuntary step back. Once again she dropped what she was holding. Jesse looked at her; she'd gone grey.

"Rae, what, what is it?" Steve picked up the photo and Jesse could see that it was one of the ones from the paper. It showed Rae and Steve asleep on the beach, only now the part of the picture with Steve in it had been slashed and marked until all the glossy paper had been removed and they could only see the white from underneath. Jesse shivered; it made him feel very uneasy.

"Bob said that there hadn't been any deliveries for me while he was on duty." Rae was slowly getting her colour back. "Have you spoken to Jan yet?" Steve shook his head, and Rae looked over to the Chief. "Sir, would you mind if I got Officer Burlington up here?"

"No, Detective, I think I would like to talk with her myself." Rae went out to her desk, and called through to Jan's extension. After she'd asked the officer to come up to the Chief's office she went in search of Martin Robertson. She found him by the water fountain in one of the side hallways.

"Martin, could I have a word please?" She knew that her voice was pinched and hard, but she saw everybody as a suspect.

"Yeah, sure, Detective, what is it?" 

"You were on the desk for a while this morning weren't you, covering for Bob? Did I have any deliveries while you were there?"

"No, it was completely dead, that's why it's called the graveyard shift. Is there anything that I can do for you? You don't sound quite right this morning, something wrong?" 

Rae looked at his open young face, how could she suspect everybody? She tried to relax her face and forced a smile. "No, thanks, Martin, it's just something I have to sort out for myself. See you later." She walked back towards her desk, and saw Jan coming through the room at the same time. 

"Hey, I've never been called to the Chief's office before, you sure mix with the big boys don't you!" She was smiling, but Rae could see that she was a little nervous.

"But you have met him, right?" 

Jan shook her head, "No, I've seen him from a distance, but that's all!"

"Come on then, no time like the present." But Rae paused. "Before we go in, Jan, have you seen this morning's Comet?"

"No, should I have?"

"There's a copy on the Chief's desk, it will become clear in a minute." Rae tapped on the door and on hearing a voice walked back in. 

The flowers were still where she had left them, but the photo and the newspaper had obviously been passed round, as they were now in front of the Chief, and he was regarding them very seriously. "Officer Burlington," He shook her hand and almost smiled at her. "Please sit down." Jan gratefully took the seat behind her. The Chief handed the photo and the newspaper over to her.  

The room was silent. Jan read the newspaper article, looked at the pictures in the paper and the one in her hand. "I think that this could be classed as dangerous, Dr. Travis, to Lieutenant Sloan especially." Looking at Rae, she continued, "The flowers, well, he obviously saw you with the first bouquet, and decided to send you some more. I thought he might. This time you mustn't show him any response. I think that the best thing to do with them would be for me to take them back down to my room, take a picture for evidence purposes, and put them out with my trash." Rae just nodded. "The newspaper article, you have to just ignore it, Rae, there is nothing else you can do really."

"What are your plans for today, Lieutenant?" The Chief looked across at Steve. He was concerned about the safety of his officer. He'd seen what had been done to the picture; he knew that Steve could be in trouble.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be safe with Rae by his side, they're so good together." Jesse knew he shouldn't, but he just couldn't stop himself.

Steve was shocked. He could feel his anger rising. "Jesse, what is that supposed to mean. Do you really think I would try anything with Rae? What the hell do you take me for?" Although he knew he shouldn't, Steve got up strode across the room and put his hand on the handle, ready to leave, with or without the Chief's permission.

"No, don't. For God's sake, Jess, we're playing right into his hands... Please, don't do this." Rae's voice was shaking as she spoke. "We can't let him get to us. Jesse, we had this argument at home, please stop. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She turned away from them all. Her thoughts were in turmoil. _What if I can't reach them, they're best friends._

"Gentlemen. This is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. Detective Yeager is right, by arguing you are giving credence to his story." The Chief's voice cut across the room.

Jan's voice lowered as she started to talk. "And you are doing Rae no good at all. She needs everybody on her side right now. We have to show a united front. I wish we could issue a statement about the newspaper article, but that will only make him feel stronger and more powerful. But you two are friends, business partners, you know there is no truth in the story, or if you don't you should. Rise above it. You need to get over it. She needs you." Jan's eyes went to where Rae was standing still with her back to them. She had her hands in her hair, but she wasn't actually moving.

"Rae, honey, I'm so sorry." Jesse moved over to her. Rae turned to him.

"I thought that we sorted this out. Maybe it's just as well that I'm moving out soon. If you can't trust me, Jesse, then we'll be better off apart." Rae moved away from him and looked at her partner. "I think we have bank records to check. If you'll excuse us, Sir?"

The Chief stood and indicated the door with his hand. Steve left the room, closely followed by Rae. Jan turned to Jesse. "I need to check your apartment, do you have anything else to do this morning?"

Jesse looked extremely ashamed as he shook his head. "I'll come back with you if you don't mind."

Jan picked up the flowers, smiled at him and turned back to her boss. "If there is nothing else I can do to help you, Sir..." she left the sentence unfinished, not really sure how to get herself out of his office.

"I would suggest that we keep in close contact, Officer. But you are dismissed."

As Rae sat down at her desk she saw Jan and Jesse come out of the Chief's office. "Jan, could I have a word?" Jan smiled, they walked over to the coffee machine and Rae poured herself a mug of boiling water.  "This is your case now isn't it?" Jan nodded. "What will happen about the video that is in the camera?"

"The Scene of Crime Unit will bring it back here. I'll need to view it I'm afraid, but I will try to make sure that nobody else does. I'm about to go over to the apartment with Jesse. Did you want to come?"

"Yes, and I'd like Steve to come too. But when you're ready to leave I think we need to stay and sort this out. If I'm going to spoil their friendship, then I'll go home. I can't do that to them." Rae looked over to Steve's desk. He was working on the bank statements. Jesse was standing by Rae's desk; he looked as if he had no idea what to do next. "Look at them, Jan. I've never seen Steve and Jesse ignore each other, and it's all because of me."

"No, Rae, it has nothing to do with you. You didn't ask this guy to stalk you. It's not your fault, and Jesse needs to realise that. Spend some time together, just the two of you, away from here, away from his place. Try and enjoy each other without all these pressures."

"Well, we're supposed to be buying furniture for my new apartment tomorrow, we're both off. I was thinking of cancelling it, but I won't now. You're right, this is not my fault, and I am not going to let him split Jesse and I up." Rae paused. "Thank you, Jan."

"You really do need to be careful tomorrow though, anything suspicious, call me, ok?"

"I also need to buy a new phone, after my little outburst yesterday!" Rae looked a little sheepish. She could feel her mood lift slightly. _She's nice; maybe when this is over we could even be friends. _Rae turned and moved over to Jesse. She took his hand and then walked over to Steve's desk. "Jan is going over to Jesse's apartment," She took Steve's hand in her free one. "We all need to go too, now, please." She let go of both hands and took a step back. The two friends looked at each other. 

Jesse held out his hand and Steve took it. They shook and Jesse smiled. "Sorry, Steve, this is really freaking me out." 

"Come on, Jess, this isn't the place to discuss this. Rae's right, let's go to your place."

Rae and Jesse stood just outside the doorway to the bedroom. Jesse had his arm around Rae's waist, and she was leaning into him. "I hate this, Jesse, why is he doing this to me?"

"I don't know, Rae, he may not even know himself why he has targeted you." 

"Jesse, could you please come in here?" Steve moved into the doorway. "We need your help."

Jesse walked over to where Steve and Jan were standing, next to the closet. "I know what's in there, Steve, I found it remember?" 

"Did you check how it had been set up? You didn't see any wood shavings, or lose any power in your electrical appliances?"

"My light stopped working a few days ago. I replaced the bulb but it didn't make any difference, I was going to buy another one tomorrow." Rae moved into the room. "Why?"

"Because this was wired into the electrical circuit, probably in place of your light, and he drilled through for the wires. I guess he must have tidied up after himself." Jan put herself in front of the small lens. "If I stand here, and pretend the door is shut, I can see the bed. I'm sorry, Rae, but there is no doubt what he was filming. And I would guess that the pictures in the paper are stills from his film."

"Would that mean that he's a film maker?" Rae looked hopefully over at Jan, who was still perched precariously in her closet.

"No, anybody with a home computer could do this, and take the stills from it. You can take pictures from television programmes, home movies, anything that you can save on video. I'm sorry, but it doesn't narrow it down very much. We could easily do it on the computer system at the precinct."

"That doesn't make me feel any better."

"What about all this electrical stuff? Surely we must be able to trace this. These are specialist systems aren't they?" Jesse looked over at Steve and Jan. 

Steve shook his head. "It would take about half an hour to put this in, and you can buy them over the Internet. We can try to track it, but I wouldn't raise your hopes."

"He's been in here at least twice. To install this and then to get the tape." Rae shuddered, she turned round and walked back into the living area. She started to walk up and down the room, she couldn't keep still. She had told Dr. Dobson that she was worried that she might come unravelled. Now she thought she already had. She moved over towards the window. Rae looked out over the parking lot and on to the buildings beyond. _He could be watching me right now, and there is nothing I can do about it._

"Rae!" She jumped and turned around to see Jan looking at her. "Keep away from the window."

"No, let him take his pictures. I will not be dictated to 24 hours a day. I'll go mad otherwise."

Jan walked over to her. "And if he' taking his shots with a gun instead of a camera? Do you still want to stand there? I know you don't want to feel victimised, but you have to stay sensible. You're not stupid, Rae, don't behave as if you are. Normal life is suspended until he's caught!" 

Rae looked over at her, but she couldn't say anything. She knew that Jan was right, and she was ashamed of herself. She realised that Jan was talking again.

"Right, I've finished here, I'm going to take the tape back to the precinct and look at it. You're gonna come back in a little while aren't you?"

"Yeah, after we've had a chat. I'll call you when we get there. Can Jesse and I see the tape, alone?"

Jan nodded her head and put her hand on Rae's shoulder. "I'll arrange it for you. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday. You should try to put it out of your mind, do your own job, work on your own cases, and let me do the same, ok?" Jan collected up the tape and the camera then she left. The SCU team had finished a short while before, but had found no fingerprints or other clues of any kind.

Steve and Jesse came back in and joined Rae. She looked at them. They were so different, one was tall, strong, completely reliable and as she had found out, very kind. _And face it, girl, he is incredibly handsome. _She smiled at Jesse; he was short, very sweet, compassionate _and passionate!_ and he held her heart in his hands. _And cute, oh boy is he cute._

"I don't know what to say to you. I can't bear it when we fight, Jesse, but when you fight with Steve, that's worse. You were friends long before I came and butted in. If anything changes that, I don't know what I'll do... Jesse, I love you. I thought you knew that. I love Steve too, but not in that way. He makes me feel safe, and I know that whatever happens out there, he'll cover my back and look out for me." She smiled at her partner, reached out and squeezed one of his big hands. As she let go she turned, "But you, Jesse... it's you I want to come home to … I don't know why we hit it off so completely so quickly, but I thank God every day that we did. I would never jeopardise that. I have always been honest with you, and I would never ever hurt you, Jesse, you must believe that. I love you with all my heart." She looked over at them. "I don't know what else to say."

Steve smiled at her; he put a hand on each shoulder and looked down at her. "I have to get back to the station, Rae, but I know that none of this is your fault. We're a team, partner, that won't change. We watch each other's backs. Jess and I will be all right. We've disagreed before; you've just not been here to see it. 

Rae looked over at Jesse, and he nodded his head. She put her arms around Steve and they hugged each other. "I'm so sorry about this, Steve, I'll be back at work in a little while, ok?"

Steve nodded at her and took his leave. As he walked back down to his car his mind was working overtime. Who was this guy? They needed to catch him, or he had no doubt that he would come between Jesse and Rae. He knew that they loved each other, but they didn't know each other that well yet, and that may be a problem.

After Steve had left, Jesse moved over to Rae and took her in his arms. "Rae, I don't know what to say either, except that I'm sorry."

"Shhh, I know that. I have no intention of letting this split us up." Rae put her arms round him and began to kiss him. Her hands moved through his hair, but suddenly she stopped. "Did they check this room?" Jesse nodded, and Rae began again. She felt Jesse respond to her and she pulled him down onto the sofa behind them. She kissed him for a little longer, and then she moved away from him. She looked him straight in the eyes. "Do you trust me, Jesse? Really trust me?"

"Yes, I do. Somebody violated my home, Rae. He told me and the rest of L.A. things that I didn't want to hear. I over reacted, but, hell, I don't know what the right reaction is." He put his hand up and stroked her face. "I love you, Rae, I know you're in danger from this guy, I should be able to protect you. Then I found out that I couldn't even do that in my own home. I just had to vent my anger, I shouldn't have said what I did, I trust Steve, but more to the point I trust you. _He_ won't change that, I promise." He pulled her towards him and they kissed once again. 

"I have to go to work, Jesse, I can't leave Steve to do it all. I'll see you later and we can plan for tomorrow." She stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. They walked hand in hand to the entranceway, and Jesse watched as she drove away in Tom. Then he turned and walked back inside.

By the time Rae got back to the precinct it was coming up to twelve noon. She walked over to Steve and as she got to his desk he started talking. "Ok, partner, let's go and get the stuff we need from the evidence locker and then we can get down to it." It took them half an hour to bring everything they needed back to the squad room, before long both desks were covered with different piles of information. By the time they had finished she was back in work mode. Rae sat and made notes as Steve started to check through Kelly Brown's box.

As he opened the box Steve let out a whistle. "You know I think the thing about this case is that everything about it is extreme. You have a cop who lived in an extremely large house, a deliveryman who kept an extremely large amount of money underneath his bathtub and a prostitute who had an extremely large number of diamonds in her safety deposit box!"

"What?" Rae looked up, Steve turned the box around and she could see about fifteen diamonds in a black velvet box. She instinctively reached out for them. "Oh, Steve, they're beautiful. Marilyn was right wasn't she?"

For a second he looked confused, and then realisation dawned. "Oh, yeah, right, they're a girls best friend."

After that, the rest of Kelly's belongings were rather mundane. They went through her bank statements and her bills and receipts. She had a credit card that was paid in full each month; she also had $5,004 in her current account and over $30,000 in her savings. Not as much as Santos, not by a long shot, but she did have the diamonds.

There was one other piece of information, although they weren't really sure what to do with it. Kelly had a letter offering her contracted work in _Pleazure_ Magazine, and mentioning what a pleasant time they'd had when they'd met the previous week. The signature was impossible to read, but the typed name underneath was Sandi Lane. Attached to it was another letter, not nearly so pleasant in tone, informing Ms Brown that she had signed a contract not to appear anywhere else for the first fifty magazines and that she would not be able to withdraw from it. Ms Lane had also signed this.

"There's something else about this case. We've had no trouble getting hold of all this paperwork, the boxes, all the invoices and bills from the victim's houses. Now it could be that they all had nothing to hide, but if that was the case then why were they killed." Steve laced his long fingers together; he was beginning to get frustrated.

Rae was silent for a moment, and Steve knew that she was working things out in her mind. She picked up Steve's pen and wrote down the three names and underneath them the information they had so easily found out about them. Then she put the print shop and the office in a column in the middle of the page and magazine at the end. She put his pen in her mouth and began to chew on the end of it. Steve looked at her. "Oh, sorry, I used to smoke thirty a day, it's only at times like this, when I'm trying to concentrate, that I miss them." She offered the pen back to him.

"No, I think I'll let you keep it." 

She smiled and started to write again. This time she had just four headings, _little people, big people, bigger person, _and_ enormous giant! _Steve smiled, this was making her relax, and he could see that she was more at ease now. Under the first heading was Kelly Brown, the second was Ethan Norville, then Mario Santos, and the last column was empty.

Rae looked up, "The only thing I can come up with, is that the person at the top thinks that he/she is so safe, that they have covered themselves so completely, that they have no need to get rid of any of this stuff. I love over confidence, it normally leads to a big fall."

"Ok, it's Norville next," Steve moved Kelly Brown's papers back into their folder and then he moved them onto a chair next to Rae's desk. 

"Well, this shouldn't take long, considering that the guy had over $250,000.00 in his bathroom!" Rae was right, there was very little in the way of financial details, Mr. Norville had obviously disliked banks. He had a current account which had a few bill payments set up on it, for his utilities, his rent and his credit card, but nothing else. 

"I wonder what he has in his safety deposit box?" Steve shook it but it didn't make any noise.

"Probably the address of a good plumber, just in case!" Rae smiled and got ready to list the contents of this box. Steve opened the lid and inside there was a single envelope. He carefully opened it and took out a letter.

"This is a letter explaining Mr. Norville's cut of _Pleazure's_ profits, and his responsibilities." Steve carried on reading. "It seems that he printed it and circulated it."

"No wonder his bathtub's the way it was he had his fingers in two pies.  See, I told you that wouldn't take long." Rae smiled across at Steve. "I wonder what it was that he was going to do that got him killed. You know I hate to depress you, but we have all of this information and absolutely no more idea than we had last Monday why anybody has been murdered!"

"Oh, thank you, Detective! Maybe our mystery man Mr. Myer can enlighten us. After all we have no idea what he did either."

They soon found out. Mr. Myer was the computer expert, he was also an accountant. The papers in his safety deposit boxes were copies of the accounts for _Pleazure Industries_ and they were worth quite a nice sum, thank you, but not enough to kill for, not three times anyway. The boxes from his house contained old coins. Probably valuable. _Curiouser and curiouser._

Steve had gone for some lunch at about one thirty, it was now almost five and they were both getting hungry again. Rae went down to a local deli, and then they carried on. Steve had gone and picked up the CD ROMS and now that they thought they knew the passwords they were confident that this might give some answers.

They put the first one in – Accounts or more correctly stnuocca and page after page of business accounts leapt up on the screen. These figures bore no resemblance to the figures entered by Mr. Myer; somebody was not just skimming off the top, but milking the company of about $100,000 each month. 

"So, now we know why Ethan met his maker, blackmail. Or maybe not just him, remember the answer phone message, but who was he blackmailing, Sandi Lane? And if so, who is she?" Rae had a puzzled look on her face.

But there was no extra evidence here, no names, or any way of finding out who the mysterious Sandi Lane was. They put the CD to one side for the IRS and moved on to contributors – rotubirtnoc. 

As the screen once again lit up, they could see that there were addresses to send the magazine out to, _not contributors exactly, well, maybe contributors to the purse_, it appeared to go countrywide. "There must be printing presses in other cities too. That garage and office can't run all of this!" Rae ran her fingers down the list on the screen. "But why did Santos have over $1 million?" She shook her head. She would think about that later. There were other details on the CD, invoices, no doubt to advertisers, there were also the bills from other magazines, all addressed to Ms Lane, and at the address where the office was. The last one was Suppliers - sreilppus. 

Here was a name they recognised. It was Lloyd at Perfect Pics. They'd been right, he had taken the pictures of Kelly and then sent them into the magazine. Then Kelly had met with Ms Lane, and signed a contract to appear in their magazine. 

"I think lil' ol' Sheree is gonna have to have her picture took real soon. Maybe this is a good time not to look my age!" Rae smiled at Steve, "Who knows with luck I can get to meet the mysterious Ms Lane."

"No, Rae, it's too dangerous, especially at the moment. I won't allow it."

"You won't what! Since when did you become my keeper, Lieutenant?" Rae had stood up; her temper had been just under the surface all day. "Listen, I want to wrap this up, so first thing Tuesday morning I **will** get dressed up in my excruciatingly tight clothes, and try and find out who the confident Ms Lane really is. We need to know whether she has anything to do with these deaths, and I don't want to discuss it further. I just hope my pictures in the scum of the earth Comet won't mean I get recognised!" She turned away from him and he sighed.

"Well I guess in one way you'll be safer, because we'll be together the whole time. I'll run it by the Chief." Steve wandered off and Rae leant back in her chair and thought. By the time Steve came back she was convinced that getting her picture taken was the logical next step. She had regained her temper, and she also felt that she couldn't look at another piece of paper for a week.

"Ok, the Chief is fine with that as long as you're careful, and anyway, I'll be with you. You know, I think we've had enough of this, d'you want to call it a day?"

Rae nodded. "Yes please. Listen could I come over, and pick up my stuff? I'm moving into my place tomorrow so it would be easier if I could come over now. And," she paused, "Maybe we could have that run on the beach you promised me? ... Sorry."

Steve smiled over at her. "That's a great idea, then you can drive home just before Jesse is due to arrive, and you won't have to spend too much time alone. Besides I can wipe the floor with you, before you move out!" Rae stuck her tongue out at him and started to pick up all the paperwork, which they'd accumulated during the day. By the time everywhere was tidy it was almost six. They let the Chief know they were leaving and headed off in separate cars towards the beach.

**Sunday** Well, she saw my article in the newspaper, I watched them walk out together and buy a copy. I was so tempted to sign my name, but not yet. It'll be a little while longer before I let her know who I am. I guessed that they would find the camera, what a shame that I couldn't get in and take the last tape. I know she must have got my flowers, and the picture that went with them. Watch out Sloan, I don't plan to wait very long to carry out my threat.

Steve and Rae decided to have their run first and then to pack all Rae's things into the car afterwards. The weather was fine, but not too hot now, and there were very few people on the beach. They stood in the sandy garden outside Steve's apartment and did some warm up exercises. It felt good to have the sun on them; Rae was looking forward to running with Steve, although she knew that he could literally run rings around her if he chose too.

They started to jog slowly at first, and gradually they increased the pace until they were both breathing heavily, _OK, I'm breathing heavily, Steve is still on cruise control!_ After another five minutes Rae flagged her partner down, and collapsed onto the sand. She looked about her; she had got further than when she had run with Jesse, but she had to get back yet!

"Oh… I needed… that… Thanks, Steve!"

"Hey, my pleasure, it's nice to have a little workout after the day we've had."

"You could at … least have… the manners to try... to look exhausted!" She smiled at him and he put his arm around her.

"How are you doing, Rae, and you know I don't mean the running."

"I'm ok, I'm spooked, you know that, what he did to the picture of you, and the camera, that really freaked me out. But we can't let him get the better of us, so I'm going to just keep going as best I can, for as long as I can, and hope it all works out fine in the end." _And I hope they aren't famous last words._

They sat looking at the water for a few more minutes and then they got up, stretched a little and began to work their way back to the beach house. The return journey wasn't as painful as the last time, probably because Rae knew that she couldn't beat Steve, so she didn't try. They jogged the last few hundred yards, and then went back up the steps into the house.

Mark was at the hospital so they grabbed a soda each from the refrigerator and sat in companionable silence on the deck each lost in their own thoughts.

Steve was trying to work out how he could watch his back against an unknown, assailant that he apparently already knew. People that he wouldn't normally consider dangerous, he now had to. It felt unnatural and he didn't like it. In the end he decided that he would just carry on as normal whilst trying to stay even more alert than usual. _And let's face it the world needs lerts!_

Rae wasn't thinking about cases, stalkers or anything like that. She had her eyes shut and she was working out what furniture she was going to buy the next day. She was so looking forward to getting her own little space furnished and made homey. She had a feeling it was one of the few things keeping her sane at the moment.

Steve slowly got to his feet. "I don't want to get rid of you, Rae, but I guess we'd better get your stuff together, so that you can make a move back to Jesse's place, and your place too."

Rae didn't have much left at Mark's, she didn't take long to fold it all up, and put in the holdall that was in the closet. Soon her stuff was next to the front door and Steve was about to take it out to the car. He'd just picked it up when Rae suddenly remembered something. "Oh, wait, my toilet bag, I won't be a minute." She turned and went back towards the bedroom. It didn't take a minute to find the bag and put her toiletries into it, but when she got back to the door she couldn't see Steve, or her holdall. She walked out towards the cars.

As Steve walked towards Rae's car he heard a sound behind him and then a cloth was being placed over his mouth, he struggled, but it was no use and in a few seconds he had slipped to the ground unconscious. His assailant took another copy of the photo of Steve and Rae on the sand out of his pocket. 'I Warned You To Stay Away From Her' was scrawled on it. He left it on Steve's chest, took the holdall, and disappeared.

"Steve, this needs to go in the bag." There was silence. Suddenly her instincts kicked in and she felt very uneasy. "Steve, STEVE!" As she looked around she saw him lying on the ground, her bag gone. "Oh, my God, Steve!" she ran to him and checked for a pulse, at first she couldn't find one and she had to push her panic back down, at last she found a very faint one.

 She saw the photo on top of him and with a presence of mind that astounded her picked it up with the bottom of her t-shirt. "Steve, wake up, can you hear me, Steve?" There was no response, she got his cell phone from his jacket and dialled 911. Then she put him onto his side in the recovery position, so that his airway was clear, opened Tom's back door, pulled the blanket off the back seat, and covered him with it. She waited, with his hand in hers. She didn't know what else to do.

Jesse was waiting when they arrived at the ER. Steve was still unconscious. "Hey, sweetheart, what happened?" They walked together towards the trauma suites.

"I don't know, Jesse, I went to the beach house to pick up the rest of my things, but I forgot my toilet bag and went back inside for it. When I came back out Steve had been attacked, he was unconscious and he had this resting on him, my bag and belongings had gone." She had the photo with a tissue wrapped round it, "I'll get a bag for it in a minute, I called 911, and here we are."

"So he has clothes of yours, photos, what else?"

"I don't know, nothing I don't think."

"I'll come out and see you again in a minute, ok?" 

Rae nodded, "I need to make a call, this time I **will** ring the Chief." She scrolled through the numbers on Steve's phone until she found the one she wanted and then pressed send.

"Chief Masters?  This is Detective Yeager. Sir, Lieutenant Sloan was attacked outside his house tonight, he's in the ER… no, Sir, I found him unconscious by my car… I have no idea what happened to him yet, but there was no sign of a wound, or any blood… Yes, Sir, I'll keep you informed… Thank you, Sir." Rae went and sat down and then picked up the phone again and put in a call to Jan.

Mark came out of the elevator; she'd been surprised that he hadn't been waiting for her. "Rae, honey, are you all right, how's Steve?"

"I'm fine, Mark. I don't know about Steve, he's still unconscious. I have no idea what happened to him. I'm so sorry!"

Rae leant her head back against the wall, and shut her eyes, she didn't like the idea that he had carried out his threat and attacked her partner so quickly.

It was only ten minutes before Jesse came out to see them. "He was knocked out with chloroform, but whoever did it used a lot of it, it could have been fatal. This was no joke, Rae, I think he meant to do him serious damage!" Rae could say nothing, only nod.

"Jesse, how is he, can I see him?"

"In a while, Mark, I'm going to get him admitted, and then I'll come back down for you, ok?" Rae and Mark both nodded and they headed for the Doctors Lounge. 

It didn't take Jesse long to admit Steve, _he's much more compliant when he isn't conscious! _

When Jesse got to the Doctors Lounge he sent Mark up to room 134 and then he sat down next to Rae. 

"How is he, Jess? I wasn't gone a minute, I should have been watching his back for him. Oh, God, why is this all moving so fast? I can't keep up." 

"Because you've become an obsession, Detective." Rae looked up to see Jan standing in the doorway. 

She smiled at her, "I thought you were calling me, Rae?"

"What happened to Steve, Doctor?"

"He was attacked and poisoned with chloroform and that can be deadly. When he wakes up he is gonna feel rotten. He'll feel nauseous, dizzy and very tired. He could have an irregular heartbeat; he did when he came in. We'll need to check him for liver damage. We've already checked that he didn't aspirate any into the lungs, because that could have caused chemical pneumonia. You did all the right things when you found him, Rae, you put him in the right position, you kept him in the fresh air, but warm and you didn't panic." He leant over and kissed her on her forehead.

"Oh, I panicked, Jesse, I just managed to push it away while I did what was necessary." She put her hand over his, "Be careful, Jesse, please, promise me you will be very careful."

Jan, had been sitting slightly away from them but she moved over so that she could make eye contact with them both. "He's getting bold now, he knows you have no idea who he is, and that he can literally do what he wants. The only good thing about your plans for tomorrow is you'll be in public places, and I don't think he'll strike then."  She stood up, "I'll see you at the station on Tuesday morning,  could you ring me as soon as you get in?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you for all your help and advice so far."

"I hope you can enjoy yourselves tomorrow." Jan left the room, smiling at Amanda as she came down the corridor.

"Rae, are you alright, I heard what happened today, and what just happened to Steve."

"I'm fine, I'm just about to go up and see him, if that's all right with you, Jesse?" He nodded and the three friends headed off together towards the elevator.

Mark was sitting quietly in Steve's room, the blinds were drawn and the room was completely silent. He looked up as he heard the door open and then moved over and out into the hallway. "He's still unconscious, but I don't think he will be for much longer, he's stirred a couple of times. So I guess he's coming out of it."

Jesse went over to the bed and checked his best friend's vital signs. He nodded, "I think you're right, Mark."

"He usually is," the voice from the bed was weak and the eyes were unfocused, but Steve was definitely back with them.

"Hey, buddy, how ya feeling?" Suddenly he knew, he didn't wait for an answer he just picked up the receptacle that was kept by the bed and Steve was very, very ill into it.

He looked up, "Sick!"

Rae moved slowly around the bed. Steve saw her and how worried she looked. He smiled at her, and watched as a single tear slid down her cheek. He held his hand out to her and she moved towards him. "Steve, I am so sorry about this. He could have killed you."

"But he didn't, and anyway this isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself for any of this. We'll just have to be more vigilant is all." He began to go grey again, and Rae picked up the freshly cleaned bowl. This time it wasn't so bad, but she could see that he was exhausted. Steve lay back on the pillows; Rae leant over and brushed his hair off his forehead, and gently kissed him.

"You rest here, partner, I guess you'll be off work tomorrow, too!"

"No, I'll be fine in a little while,"

"Oh, no, you don't, just because I won't be here, doesn't mean you can go skipping off back to the station." Jesse tried to look stern. "You'll stay here until Monday night, and meet up with Rae at your desks on Tuesday morning. Doctor's orders! Now I suggest that you try to get some sleep." 

There was a tap on the door and Rae saw Chief Masters looking in through the glass. She went over to him. "Chief."

"Detective, how's he doing?"

"Not too bad. Jess, ah Dr. Travis says that he should stay in here until tomorrow night, and come back to work on Tuesday morning. At the moment, I would say that he's feeling as sick as a dog … he was poisoned... with chloroform."

"I presume that it was your stalker?"

Rae nodded, that made her feel even worse _her_ stalker. "Yes, Sir, he left the same photo by Steve with the words 'I Warned You to Stay Away From Her' scrawled across it."

To her enormous surprise the Chief put his hand on her shoulder. "Detective, this will be over soon, I promise you that." Then he turned and walked away.

Rae sat down heavily in the chair outside Steve's room. She always felt that she had to be on her best behaviour when she talked to the Chief, and always without exception when she finished talking to him she felt that she'd failed. She decided to stay outside; she didn't want to intrude any more.

"Rae, are you alright, are you coming back in?" Mark looked down at her, his eyes full of concern and anxiety.

"No, Mark, I don't want to intrude, I've bought enough trouble into your lives. Maybe I should just pack up and go back to London. Everybody would be a lot better off if I weren't here."

"Hey, I wouldn't!" Jesse put his head round the door.

"Nor I, who will I go shopping with, or gossip with on the phone for hours, while you're in the bath at your house, and I'm in the bath at mine?" Amanda smiled at her and stood next to Mark.

Don't you dare leave me, Detective, you're the only person who can keep my desk tidy!" Steve's voice floated quietly out from his room. 

Rae looked at all these people who she knew cared for her as much as she cared for them. "I think you got your answer, sweetie, looks like you're here to stay for a while!" Mark smiled at her and took her hand, he pulled her up off the chair and they all went back into Steve's room. They had been in there about another five minutes when Jesse's pager beeped at him and he had to leave. Rae got up as well.

"I'm going to go back to Jesse's place and sort out my stuff. I'll be extra careful, I'll lock the door once I'm in, and if I have a problem I'll call 999, ok?" 

Steve shook his head, and instantly wished that he hadn't. His voice was shaky as he spoke. "Ah, I don't think that would help."

"Oh, sorry, 911!" Rae smiled a little sheepishly. Then she took Jesse's hand and they left the room together.

By the time Rae got back to the apartment house it was dark. She took her flashlight from the car, grabbed her keys and headed up to Jesse's door. Once inside she locked up and, feeling both scared and foolish, took her gun out and then searched the whole flat. It didn't take long, and didn't turn up anything. She placed the gun on the table in front of her and sat down to think. _If this keeps on happening I won't have anything to move next door. I just lost all my stuff from Mark's and I lost my bag in Steve's car. Great!_

I didn't take long to sort out the clothes in Jesse's closets. _See, you've got nothing left; you'll be permanently dressed as Sheree if this carries on. _ She sorted them into piles and, picking up her gun, walked over to her own front door. It was still locked; she opened it, and once again went through her search routine. Then she put the first pile of t-shirts onto a shelf, and went back to repeat the process again. It took much longer as she had to search each room every time, but finally everything was in the new place except some clean clothes for tomorrow, and a dirty load, which was in the washing machine. They had already decided between them, that Rae would use Jesse's washer and dryer, it seemed silly to buy a new one of each just for a year, or less than a year now. The same went for the Hoover. She picked up a piece of paper and began to write a shopping list for the next day. 

At ten she phoned the hospital to enquire after Steve. She was told that he had eaten a small piece of toast and was now fast asleep. Relieved that he was on the mend she grabbed a couple of eggs out of the refrigerator, and made herself some egg sandwiches. Once this was done she took them back to the table, and continued with her list. She wanted to go to Ikea to get the big pieces, like the bed and the sofa, but she was looking forward to having a mooch about for the smaller things.

Jesse arrived home just after midnight to find her fast asleep on the sofa, her gun by her side, and a shopping list a mile long still held in her hand. He smiled down at her, he didn't want to wake her, but he didn't want to leave her on her own on the sofa overnight.

"Rae, honey, it's time for bed, come on, let's move you into the other room." She looked up at him with sleepy eyes, and just nodded. Then she got slowly to her feet, picked up her gun and let him lead her to the bed where she just lay down, and went straight back off again.

**Sunday **I told her to be careful, or her friends would get hurt. I even told her that it would be the Lieutenant who would get it first. I thought I had enough stuff on that rag to kill him, but I must have been a bit out in my calculations. Still I think I have warned him enough, next it'll be the Doctor's turn. But I will wait a short while; let them think I've lost interest. Make them all the more frightened when the end comes, and it will come this week, that I promise her.


	8. Footsteps 2nd Monday

**2nd Monday**

When Rae woke up on Monday morning she could see the early morning sunlight shining in through the blind. She looked at her watch it was nine minutes after seven, plenty of time before she needed to be at the hospital to see Dr. Dobson. She closed her eyes, and tried to imagine what she would do if she came face to face with her stalker, but after a couple of minutes she realised that it was a futile exercise. As she had no idea who he was, there was no way she could work out her reactions.

She sat up in bed and ran her fingers through her hair. She knew she'd told herself not to let the guy get to her, but it wasn't easy. Steve was lying in the hospital, and she knew that Jesse was in danger too. She had a feeling that Steve had only survived because he was a big fit man, if Jesse had inhaled that much chloroform...She shuddered, she couldn't think about that. She turned her head to look at him sleeping beside her, and was surprised to see that he was looking up at her. "Hi, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"No, I've been awake for a while, I enjoy watching you, but you look so troubled right now." Jesse sat up, pulled her head over, and onto his shoulder.

"I was letting my thoughts run away from me." She took a deep breath, "I'm scared, Jesse, scared for me, but more scared for you and what he could do to you. I'm so sorry that I've put you and Steve in so much danger."

"Hey, neither one of us is going to back away, you know that. We went over this yesterday.  I love you, Rae, I'm not going anywhere, and Steve likes a tidy desk!" He lay back on the pillow pulling her down as well; he turned her face towards his and began to kiss her. Their lovemaking was slow and sensuous, like Jesse had wanted it to be on the Sunday morning. This time Rae was able to respond and the enjoyment was mutual.

It was just after seven forty five when Rae got out of the shower. "Jesse, are you coming into the hospital while I see Dr. Dobson? Only if you do we can use just the one car."

"Yeah, why not, I can go see Steve while you are with Brian." Rae came back into the room, grabbed the only set of clean clothes left in the place, and pulled them on. She ran the brush through her hair. _Hairdressers, I still haven't asked Amanda_. As she walked into the living area she could see the mail on the mat. She froze, her eyes met Jesse's, and he walked over and picked it all up. "It's ok, there's nothing from him."

Rae relaxed, _don't let him ruin your day; forget him today. _But she still put her badge and gun on her belt. After a quick breakfast of her yoghurt drink, (accompanied by grimaces from Jesse), and an apple they were in the car, and on the way to the hospital. They separated at the main entrance, and arranged to meet by Steve's room in an hour.

Helen was on duty outside Dr. Dobson's office when Rae arrived. She smiled and waved her through. Dr. Dobson was standing at the window watching the world go by when she entered, but he turned immediately and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Detective, how are you this morning?"

"I've been better. I need to talk to you about things we haven't discussed before because they weren't relevant, no, more than that, they didn't exist...  I have a stalker and I'd like to talk to you about the psychological aspects of it."

"How do you know that you have a stalker, Detective?"

"I guess you don't read the Sunday Comet then?" Rae once again listed all the things that had happened. It got no easier with the telling. In fact, each time she went through it, it only brought home to her just how vulnerable she was, and she was a cop for goodness sake.

"I agree with your colleague's opinion that you have a predatory stalker, and that he has become obsessed with you. I don't have that much experience with stalkers, well not as much as with their victims, but this seems to be moving faster and faster. I really would watch your back, Detective."

"Oh, I intend to, and Jesse's as well. But he got to Steve, and of the two of them he's far better equipped to handle himself, but now he's lying in a bed here."

"Well, Lieutenant Sloan was lucky, and I realise that you know that. Now, we need to talk about you, and how you're dealing with this, and any advice I can give you that I think will help."

Jesse walked up to Steve's room, and looked through the glass, his friend was sitting up in bed, his breakfast untouched in front of him. "Hey, buddy, how are you feeling this morning?"

"I've felt better, how come when you see this happen in the movies the guy just gets up, and carries on?" 

Jesse smiled at him, "Hey, they shoot ten rounds out of a gun too, I guess we all get disillusioned now and again." 

"Where's Rae? I thought you two were going shopping this morning!"

Jesse raised his eyes to the heavens, "Oh, don't remind me, furniture shopping! But there's no way I can let her go alone, and Jan said that she thought we would be safe in such populated places. I sure hope she's right." He leant over and picked up a piece of toast off Steve's tray, "Are you gonna eat this?"

"No, go ahead, I had one piece, I don't think I can face any more." They sat together, Jesse eating Steve's breakfast, each wondering how Rae was getting on. After a while Jesse couldn't stand it any longer.

"I'm gonna go down, and wait for Rae outside Dr. Dobson's office, you don't mind do you?"

"No, go on, I know you are just itching to get to those furniture stores!"

"Yeah, right." He walked over to his best friend, "Steve, I'm sorry… about yesterday I know I was wrong to say what I did."

"Hey, Jess, it's no problem." Steve held out his hand and Jesse took it. As they shook hands Steve smiled. "Let me know how she is later ok?" 

"You got it." Jesse went out into the corridor, and down the hall. He realised that he was staring at everybody as if they were about to kill him. _Face it, Travis, somebody might, you're scared. Rae admitted it, and you need to as well._ He arrived at the main desk outside Dr. Dobson's office, and smiled at the nurse, "Hi, is Detective Yeager still in with the doctor?"

"Yes, but," she looked at her watch, "They should be finished in a minute." As she spoke the door opened and Rae came out. Jesse couldn't tell by looking at her how it had gone. She smiled when she saw him, and then turned and shook hands with Dr. Dobson.

"Thank you, today has been very helpful. It's reassuring to know that we're doing everything that we should. I'll see you in a week."

Jesse walked over to her, and took her hand. "Hi, Brian, how's it going?"

"Fine, Jesse, thank you. Have a nice time shopping!" He smiled over at Jesse and then disappeared back into his office. 

Jesse and Rae headed back out to the parking lot, and got into Jesse's car. He told her how Steve was, and as they drove along she repeated what Dr. Dobson had said about how to deal with her emotions during this time. "He seemed to think that we're doing things pretty well. He also said not to keep it in, but to let somebody know how I'm feeling. Somebody I know isn't the stalker. I said that I'd tell you. I thought maybe this evening we could get a takeaway, sorry, out, and just talk, not only about that, but about lots of different things. I think we may both feel better for it."

Jesse looked over at her, "Yeah, I think you're right. Oh, here we are, Ikea, for what exactly?"

"Bed, sofa, things like that, and I like their kitchen stuff, not too expensive, which seeing as it is all only going to have a ten month life is important."

Suddenly Jesse felt incredibly sad, ten months and she would be gone out of his life. He shook himself; he would deal with that later. Now he had to get through a day's furniture shopping. _It must be love!_

Rae had sat and laid down on twelve different beds. Trouble was she couldn't remember what the first one was like now. She wandered back over to it. She wanted one with drawers underneath, there wasn't much cupboard space in her apartment, and if she did get the chance to get her children over, then it would be needed. She looked around; Jesse was nowhere to be seen. "Jesse, Jess, where are you?" She could feel her panic rising, he'd been here just now, where was he? "Jesse, Jesse!"

"Excuse me, madam, have you lost your son?" A worried looking assistant hurried over to her.

"No, no, it's fine, I just lost sight of my boyfriend for a moment, but I'm ok, now." Rae felt really silly, but she couldn't explain. She just knew she had to find Jesse.

"Hey, Rae, what about this one?" She heard his voice from over in another part of the store, turned and ran to him.

"My God, Jesse, you frightened the life out of me, why did you run off like that?" She rubbed her hand across her face, she couldn't cry here, but she felt like it.

"Rae, honey, I'm so sorry, I didn't think." He sat down on the bed he was standing next to. "This is impossible isn't it? Until this guy is caught we can't live a normal life." He could feel himself getting more and more angry. He struggled to keep his it down. "Look, lets carry on as if this didn't happen. We'll just stay together, ok?"

Rae nodded. "So what is so special about this bed then?"

Jesse smiled. "Sit on it." She did so. "It's really comfortable don't you think?"

"That's it? You gave me a heart attack because this is really comfortable!" she paused. "I'm sorry. Yeah it is comfortable. Let's go for this one, if we both like it then it's the best one so far." She took a slip from the box next to the bed and wrote down all the code details she needed. She had checked the Internet and knew that she could get her stuff delivered tomorrow before she went to work because it was the right area, but only if it was in stock. Keeping her fingers crossed she went over to talk to an assistant, making sure that it wasn't the one who had spoken to her earlier.

Jesse sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her. _This has to end_. 

Two hours and numerous sofas later Rae was ready to move onto the kitchen department. She grabbed a cart and they headed for china, glass and kitchen utensils. Rae was like a child in a toy store. She picked up things, put them back, walked on, came back, picked them up again, soon the cart had very little space left in it. They moved onto the bathroom department and she picked up towels. The next area was full of storage boxes; soon the trolley was too. 

"You know, we'll need another cart before long. Are you nearly done?" 

"I was going to get a couple of blinds, a duvet, some bedding and some trendy plants then I'll be done!"

"Trendy what?"

"Trendy plants, when I used to shop in Ikea in London we always used to buy a plant while we were there, and we used to call them Trendy Plants."

Rae picked two dark blue blinds for the windows in the living area, and then changed her mind and picked up another two the same. After choosing two plants which she perched precariously on the top they headed for the check out area.

Jesse thought he might need oxygen when the total came up, but Rae just got her new piece of plastic out and smiled at the lady. After they had packed it all back into the trolley cart they headed over to the concession stand and had hot dogs for lunch. When they'd put everything in the trunk of Jesse's car she smiled at him over the top of the car and said, "Ok, where next?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Actually you know I think that pretty much covers everything I need, except food, oh, and I need to get a few more clothes now that my bag has been taken." 

They spent another couple of hours looking for and getting some clothes for Rae. She also got couple of outfits for 'good ol' Sheree'; she couldn't after all wear the same thing again on Tuesday. Then they headed back to the apartment house and started to unload everything again.

"Jesse, do you think you could go and put that carpet shampoo thing in my place so that I can do the floors?"

"Yeah, sure, but I think we should stick together. We'll unload this and then go right?"

She nodded. Independence was a luxury she didn't have at the moment. She opened the door to her apartment and scanned it quickly. It was clear, and so she started to stack things in the closet in the bedroom, and the kitchen cupboards. She didn't want to put anything on the floor, because it would only have to be moved again. 

Once everything was done they went and got the floor machine. Rae had been looking forward to doing this because she hoped the carpet would look better in the end, but it was back breaking work. She'd been back and forward it felt like a million times, and she couldn't really see that much difference.

"Hey, once you get some furniture in here it'll be great." Jesse could see the frustration in Rae's face. "Let's see, what have you got coming?  A sofa bed, a giant bean bag thing, a coffee table and a magazine rack, most of the floor will be covered. It'll be fine, trust me." 

"Oh, I do trust you," Rae turned and kissed his gently on the lips, then she smiled. "So, everything is in, the floor is done, what do you want to do now? We could head over to the beach house and have a run along the beach there, or go and get the groceries in ready for me to move in tomorrow, or…"

"I know, how about we go to the Japanese Gardens, and then we could go over to Bob's for dinner."

"Oh, Jesse, what a great idea, that's better than takeout. Come on, let's go right now."

The afternoon was pleasant and they were soon in Van Nuys, they started in the Zen Garden. The scenery was beautiful, and Rae felt that they had moved slightly out of time with the rest of the world. As they walked hand in hand through some of the six and half acres of grounds, they said nothing; it wasn't necessary. After a while they sat down on the grass, and rested against each other. As she sat there Rae felt as if she had known Jesse all her life. Here, she could put all her troubles into a part of her brain that would lock them away for her. She could concentrate on the now, on being with the man she loved in a peaceful and safe haven. She turned to look at him. He was lying back on the grass now with his eyes closed. She took the picture into her mind. 

"Jess, sweetheart," Slowly he stirred. Rae was sitting on the grass next to him. He shivered. 

"You've been fast asleep for just over an hour. The Gardens are going to close in ten minutes." She held out her hand, and pulled him to his feet. "It's a very relaxing place isn't it? You know I feel completely at peace here, just like the Lake Shrine, beautiful places both of them." They walked back out to where the car was parked. She let out a little sigh. "I half expected the car to have been touched, but surely the man has to work sometimes. Maybe Monday is his day."

"I tell you what, let's go home, and get changed. I know we're only going to Bobs, but let's treat it as a night out."

"Better still, we could actually **have** a night out. Couldn't we eat somewhere else? How about Mexican?"

Jesse thought a minute, "If we go into Olvera Street, we can have a great Mexican meal. It won't taste like the stuff you have in London though, this is the real thing!"

"Ok, that sounds great, but we do have Mexican restaurants in London too you know." 

Jesse and Rae had a wonderful evening. They sat, and ate their food outside, watched the world get dark and the stars come out to play. Neither of them was very adventurous, only having things that they'd heard of before, but they made sure that they didn't have the same so that they could swap about. Nobody else seemed to be hurrying, and they didn't either. It was close to ten forty five when they were ready to head back. 

"You know I really should go in to Bob's, just to see how much sauce we have left, and how everything is." Rae nodded at him, and they drove back to the BBQ restaurant.

"Hey, Rae, Jesse," Alex was standing behind the counter as they walked in. The place was empty, and the closed sign was up on the door. He had a cloth in this hand, and was wiping down the counter top.

"I just came to check up on the sauce, and cash up. Busy night?"

"No, not particularly. I even got some studying done! Digestive system, I thought it was apt." He saw Jesse's face. "I took it out the back, honest!"

Jesse walked out into the kitchen, and Alex handed Rae a mineral water. "Thanks. I believe I owe you a beer." She got her money out of her pocket, and handed him some. He picked up a bottle from behind the counter and put the money in the cash register.

"You don't have to do this, but thanks." He drank from the bottle, and then wiped his mouth. "I, ah, heard what's been going on, I was in with Steve earlier. You know if there is anything I can do to help."

"NO!" Rae was horrified.

"Rae, I just want to help a friend." Alex looked hurt.

"I'm sorry, no, Alex, I can't let anybody else be his victim. He's already nearly killed Steve, and I'm really worried about Jesse. I didn't mean to shout, but I just can't let you get involved." 

Jesse had come rushing out of the kitchen when he heard her shout, and he listened to what she was saying. He shook his head, this guy had her whole life tied up in his hands, and there was nothing they could do about it.

It was eleven thirty when they locked the restaurant up for the night, and headed out to their cars. Alex was parked two rows away from Rae and Jesse, and he walked over with them. Rae and Alex were ahead of Jesse who'd had to set the building alarm. "I mean it, Rae, if you do need somebody, I'm around, call me." He smiled at her, and turned to walk away. He saw a car in the dark coming towards Jesse. "Jesse, look out!" He ran back, and hurled himself at the doctor, pushing him out of the way of the speeding car, but he wasn't quick enough to save himself, was hit, and sent flying into the air.

"ALEX! JESSE!" Rae screamed and rushed over to them. Alex was lying in a pool of blood, Jesse tried to scramble to his feet, he hadn't been hurt, but didn't have much air left in his lungs.  

"Rae," his voice was croaky, he held up his cell phone, she ran and got it. She dialled 911 with fingers that she could barely keep from shaking. Once she knew the ambulance was on the way she went quickly back over to Alex. Once again she found herself kneeling by a friend feeling for a pulse. His wasn't much stronger than Steve's had been. 

Slowly Jesse regained enough breath to move, and he crawled over to where Alex was lying. He was so shocked that he had no idea what to do. He just sat there, his head in his hands praying that his young friend would survive, because he knew he could do nothing for him.

They were all put into the back of the ambulance, and the paramedics began to work on Alex. They got a mask on him, and began to take his vital signs.

They got to the ER, and Alex was rushed through and into a trauma suite. Jesse was also taken into one to be checked over. Rae sat outside in the hallway, then unable to stay where she was, she got up, and walked up to Steve's room. She knocked on the door, and entered. Steve was out of bed, dressed and sitting in a chair reading a bike magazine; he stood up, and looked at her.

Steve couldn't believe his eyes. Rae was shaking and her clothes were covered with blood. "Rae, what's happened? Are you alright?" She shook her head, rushed over to him and collapsed into his arms. "Are you hurt, Rae? Rae, is that your blood?" He breathed a sigh of relief as she shook her head again.

He tried to make sense of what she was saying, but her breathing was so erratic that he couldn't. He leant over onto the bed, and pressed the nurses call button. When it was answered he turned to see a tall young woman standing just inside the doorway. "Could you page my father to come up here, please? Tell him it's not me, but it's urgent." She nodded and left, he turned his attention back to Rae.

"Come on, Rae, take deep breaths, slowly, just like dad helped you with when you were here before. Once you calm down we can talk, but not before. I can't understand what you're saying."

Slowly she calmed down enough to disentangle herself from him. "Oh, God, Steve… he tried again tonight… he tried to kill Jesse, he was going to run him down in the parking lot outside Bob's… but he missed… he got Alex instead! This is… is Alex's blood. I'm sorry, I think I'm going to be sick." She raced into the bathroom that was attached to Steve's room and he could hear her in there. He started to walk over to her when his dad came in the room.

"Steve, what is it? I would have been here in a minute when I finished my rounds." Then he heard Rae being sick in the bathroom, he looked puzzled and walked over to the door. "Rae! What's happened, where's Jesse?"

She turned to look at him and he was shocked by her appearance. She seemed to have aged about ten years since he had last seen her. "My God, Rae, what's happened?"

"The stalker came after Jesse, but he missed. He got Alex instead. He's in the E.R. Mark, I don't know if he's alive or dead."

"And Jesse?"

"He's there too, I know I should have stayed, but I couldn't." She took a deep breath, "I'm ok now, I'll go back and find out how they are."

"Not alone, you won't. I'll come with you." Steve looked over at his dad with a stare that said that he had no intention of staying where he was. Mark let it go, and they all walked down together.

The doctor on duty was Dr. Collins; he saw Steve, Mark and Rae coming back down the hallway towards him. "Detective Yeager, I have one very worried Doctor sitting in Trauma Two. Would you please go and tell him that you are fine?" Collins smiled at her. He had no idea how their world was spiralling out of control, and Rae had no intention of letting him in on it. She just smiled and walked over to him. 

"How's Alex? I need to know before I see Jesse."

"He has a very deep wound on the right arm from just below the shoulder to his elbow, probably where the car hit him and the arm is broken in two places. He also has a serious concussion, and multiple cuts and bruises, but he was incredibly lucky. That's all that's wrong. He's been x-rayed. His spine and neck have been checked. He'll be extremely sore for quite a while I would imagine, but he'll be fine, and much sooner than I would have thought when he was wheeled in."

They saw her sway as the relief swept over her, and Steve was there to steady her. "Hey, come on, Detective, you can do this, we are not going to let this bastard beat us!"

"Steve!" Rae looked shocked. He smiled at her, he'd only said it to get a reaction, and it had worked. "Go on, Jesse needs you." 

She walked in to see him. His face was grazed where he had hit the ground and he looked a bit glazed; she went to run into his arms but stopped when she saw his face. 

"Where did you go, Rae? I thought you would stay with me or Alex."

"I went to see Steve, I needed to talk, I just needed to talk to him."

"Oh." Jesse looked at her. His head hurt and he wanted to check on Alex. "And you couldn't talk to me?"

"Don't do this to me, Jess. You were in here, being treated. I needed to talk, and I needed to tell Steve what had happened." She paused, there was nothing else she could say about it. "Oh, Jesse, let's see Alex and go home, it was such a lovely day, now it's all spoilt."

Jesse couldn't argue, he forced a smile and touched her cheek. "Hey, the lovely day was yesterday, we had a great Monday. We'll put the bad things into Tuesday." 

She nodded at him. It seemed like a week since she had been sitting looking at him fast asleep on the grass in Van Nuys. They got up, and went out of the room.

"Where's Alex, Dr. Collins?"

"He has been admitted and is in room 295. And before you ask, yes you can go up, but not for long."

They smiled at him and walked towards the elevator. They rode up in silence, Jesse had both arms around Rae, and she leant back against him. They heard the doors ping, and stepped out. Alex's room was directly to the left of them. They tapped on the door, and quietly entered. 

Alex was lying with his injured arm supported. His face was beginning to show the bruises from where he had landed. Rae gently brushed some of his blond hair away from his face. His eyes flickered, and opened.

"Rae, what happened?" his voice was tired, and his eyes weren't focussing properly, but he knew who she was. 

"You got hit by a car, Alex. You pushed Jesse out of its path, but got hit yourself. I am so sorry."

"You sure it was only a car, and not an express train?" 

"Shhh, you need to close your eyes and go to sleep. You know they check you every two hours. Trust me you need to get some rest while you can. I'll come back and see you tomorrow, OK?"

Alex nodded his head, winced and closed his eyes. Rae placed a kiss on his forehead, and they left him to sleep.

**Monday** I know I said that I was going to wait until later in the week to have a go at the doctor. Well, I couldn't get her out of my mind all day. I phoned the station this morning and they said she was off. Then I called the hospital and got told the same thing. They were together! I searched all their favourite places, but I couldn't find them. It wasn't until the afternoon that they came home with shopping, stuff for her new apartment. Then they went off again, and I lost them, but I found her at that restaurant the doctor and the cop own. I waited, I knew I could get him and I would have done if that kid hadn't gotten in the way. I'll have to speed up my plan. I thought I could let her go for a day or two and not see her, but I was wrong. She needs to be with me, now.


	9. Footsteps 2nd Tuesday

**2nd Tuesday**

Rae woke up on Tuesday morning and looked around the bedroom. Tonight she would be sleeping next door. She had chosen some bedding that had summer flowers on it. She smiled, it was like being a student again, except this time she'd had the money to buy what she wanted. _Thanks dad!_ She remembered her digs when she first arrived in London. It was before she'd joined the force, and she'd been a secretary in a bank. The flat was small with a wonderful view of a brick wall, but it was hers. She'd been just as excited then, but all her purchases had been from market stalls and discount shops. It had been so nice yesterday to be able to pick up what she wanted, and not to have to worry about the cost, well not too much anyway. 

She got out of bed, Jesse groaned and opened his eyes. "Shhh, you don't have to get up yet. I just want to be ready when my stuff comes. It's due at nine, and it's eight fifteen already." Jesse didn't need telling twice. He turned over and went back to sleep. 

Rae got dressed and went into the living area, picked up the Hoover, and headed for her apartment. She locked the door and got to work. The carpet was dry now, and she had soon vacuumed the whole area. She had to admit it did look cleaner than it had. She went into the bathroom and began to clean it. She had run out of energy the other evening before she got here. Soon she was singing to herself, and happily making the room sparkle. She put her toiletries into the cupboard, and smiled at herself in the mirror. She went into the kitchen, put the kettle on, and then headed back to Jesse's to pick up some tea bags.

"Hey, you seemed to be enjoying yourself next door. How's the carpet looking? Or did it roll itself up to try and get away from your singing?" Jesse was rewarded for his sarcasm by Rae poking her tongue out at him.

"About the same as yours, actually! It was worth all the effort." They heard the noise of a van pulling up down below, and Rae headed downstairs. 

It took just over twenty-five minutes to move all the furniture into the apartment. Once the van had gone, Rae stood just inside the doorway and looked around. She had one and a half hours to sort things out a bit before she had to go to work. Jesse sat on the sofa looking at her. "Why don't you leave it like this now, and then you can move it all around when you wake up in the morning? I take it you will want to sleep in here tonight?"

"Yes, you're welcome to stay, too, if you'd like." She smiled at him. "You know, I have a feeling I might have some fun here!" She walked over to him, and pulled him to his feet, then she began to kiss him. Jesse began to respond warmly, and for a few minutes there was no noise at all in the room except for their hearts beating as one. 

When they parted, Jesse looked into her eyes. "I guess you had better get ready for work, aren't you being Sheree today?"

Rae groaned, "Oh, yeah, so I am, I'd forgotten about that." She walked into the bedroom, and took a bag off the top shelf of her closet. Inside it was a dress of pure white. It had straps over the shoulders and then a gap before the sleeves started. It had a scooped neck and not a lot else! It was made of Lycra, and Rae couldn't believe that she was actually going to wear it. She looked in the mirror. The last week had taken its toll, but she hoped that she could get away with looking about eight years younger than she actually was.

"Right, I'll have a quick shower, and then head off. What are your plans for this morning? I don't suppose you could go and see Alex for me?"

"Yeah, that's not a problem. Look, keep in contact, ok? Even if you didn't have this creep after you, I would want to know you were safe. I'm not thrilled about what you're doing today." Jesse came over, and looked in her dark brown eyes.

"I know you're not, and I'm grateful that you're just letting me do my job. Listen, I'd better grab that shower, I just remembered that I didn't get a new phone yesterday!"

Rae was on the road in twenty minutes. She stopped at the first mall she spotted and was soon on the way up the stairs to the squad room with the new cell in her bag. Steve was already there. He looked fine, maybe a little tired, and she was relieved to see him.

"Hey, partner, how are you feeling?"

"Great, compared to yesterday. I think I'll sleep well tonight, but I don't feel sick anymore, and apparently the liver check came back all clear, so I'm back on the job.

Rae picked up her phone and put a call through to Jan. She told her about what had happened to Alex and Jesse, that she would be working all day, and that she would be in contact again.

Steve waited until she had finished on the phone. "Was that Jan?"

Rae nodded, "Yeah, I said that I would keep in touch. So what is your plan for today?"

"We need to get Sheree and Marcus up and running, don't we?"

Rae nodded her head. "You know I was thinking on the way over, I have no idea how to go about having photos like that taken. How about I give Phil Levington a call, and get a few pointers?"

"He was in here a few minutes ago, he'd taken some shots at a homicide that Campbell caught. Yeah, there he is." Steve could see the photographer in the hallway, and called to him. "Hey, hotshot, could you come in here?" 

Phil Levington turned round; he looked as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Lieutenant, what can I do for you?"

"Not for me really, but for Detective Yeager, we need some photos taken." Rae had gone into the ladies room, she came back out now with the dress just about on. Once again the room erupted in catcalls.

"Hey, gorgeous, anything I can do for you, and I mean anything?"

"Hey, Stevie, is she wearing that for you?"

"Come over here and I'll show you a good time." Rae turned to them and blew them a kiss, then she walked back over to her desk. She was going to sit on the corner of it, but changed her mind just in time.

"So, Phil, what do you think, has Steve told you what we want?"

"Ah, no, he hasn't. I guess there is a reason for the dress?"

"Yeah, you could say that. I am going to have my picture taken by a photographer who sends pictures to girlie magazines, illegal girlie magazines. I need to get information on the owner. Trust me, this is not my normal choice of work clothes."

"Rae has never had her picture taken like this before. We wondered if you could give us any pointers." Steve looked over at the young man who looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Phil, are you all right with this? If you don't want to do it, I'll find somebody else."

He seemed to pull himself together. "No, no, it's just a bit of shock, that's all. I normally take pictures of dead people, and in that dress well, you are anything but dead. I can give you a few tips though."

Slowly and haltingly, Phil began to explain how Rae should move and smile and make herself look more confident than she felt. 

"Do you think that you could take a roll of film and then we could see what it looks like? There's a one hour place just down the block."

"That's ok, I can develop them myself in less time than that."

They went into one of the interrogation rooms and Phil began to take some photos talking to Rae the whole time. 

"That's it, smile at me, now pout. Great. Turn away and look over your shoulder. That's it. Remember you have to think that the camera loves you, and trust me it does. Ok, walk towards me, that's it. Smile, baby, c'mon wonderful. Ok, now lean across the table, head in your hands, beautiful. Now turn over and look back at me. Keep smiling, run your tongue over your teeth, that's magic. And that's the end of the film." Phil stood up and Rae did the same. 

"Hey, you know what I enjoyed that." Phil smiled at her. "Let's hope they come out ok, so that you can see what the effect is. I'll get these down to the developing lab. I'll be back in about an hour."

Rae smiled at him. "Thanks, Phil, you know, I enjoyed it too."

"I don't think we were alone, you know." Rae turned and looked out through the interrogation room door. Outside half the squad room was looking in the window. As she left the room they broke into a round of applause. She walked over to them, gave a bow and headed to her desk; they could hear her laughing as she went.

"Well, that looked like fun!" Steve was at his desk drinking a coffee and looking at the notes they had made at the weekend.

"It was, but I'm not sure I will enjoy it as much this afternoon. Excuse me, while I go and peel myself out of this dress." She padded barefoot back towards the ladies room. There was a full-length mirror in there and she looked at herself. Thank goodness the dress did make her look younger. Soon she was ready to go back inside. As she did so a couple of the guys made groaning noises. She smiled and stuck her tongue out at them and tried to get back to the business at hand.

"Ok, when we finished up Sunday night, we had decided that our man Norville was blackmailing Ms. Lane, probably because he had found out she or someone close to her was skimming off the top. He was probably killed because they got fed up with paying. The only thing I can think of as to why Ms. Brown was killed was that she wanted out, but it seems a bit extreme. Mario I have no idea yet." Steve stopped and looked at her.

"Hey, you were a busy boy when you were in the hospital weren't you? Maybe when we find out who Ms. Lane is the rest will fall into place. You know, I have been thinking, too. I don't know why, but it bugs me that we are a magazine missing. Why would Norville have every issue in his flat except number three? And why weren't those discs under the bath as well as the money, unless he was waiting to show them to somebody. The obvious person would be Myer, but he didn't know that Norville was dead, or at least it seemed that way to me."

"We need to find out what was in issue three."

"Or who." Rae looked over at him.

At that moment Phil Levington came back into the room. "Have you been gone an hour already?" Steve looked at his watch. It was twelve thirty. 

Phil spread out the pictures on Rae's desk. Her eyes grew wide as she looked at them. She had to admit she didn't look half bad. "Hey, Phil, I bet you could have even made Steve look good in that dress!"

He smiled at her. "I take that as a compliment."

"I don't! But these are good. If you do the same again this afternoon, Rae, we should at least get in through the door!" 

"Well, I have other things to do, so if you will excuse me?" Phil got up and shook him by the hand.

"I'm sorry if we kept you from your normal day job. Thanks again."  Rae looked after him as he exited, then she turned to Steve and said,  "Ok, I think it's time to pay good old Lloyd a visit. Have you got your Marcus outfit with you?" 

Steve nodded, he picked up a bag from behind the desk, Rae picked up the dress again and they headed off in different directions. Ten minutes later they were back, in character and ready to try and get a little further on in the case. Rae looked at Steve. 

"Steve, words fail me! Where did you get those trousers?" 

"What? I've had these pants for a long time." He said proudly. "I always knew they would come in handy. I told Dad they were keepers! I had a great shirt to go with them too, but I couldn't find it."

"That's a blessing for us all! Come on, before you get arrested by the fashion police."

About twenty minutes later they pulled up outside Perfect Pics and Rae took a deep breath. She had been surprised at how good _Ok, for good read cheap_ she had looked.

Steve took her by the hand, and they walked into the shop together. Marlene was standing behind the counter. Steve walked up to her, an oily smile on his face. "Well good afternoon, Marlene, darlin', remember me? Give my friend Lloyd a call, he's gonna take some pictures of my baby."

"Lloyd, you're needed. I guess you'd better come with me, honey, that dress just ain't gonna cut it!" Rae looked over at Steve, he just nodded so she teetered over to Marlene in her impossible heels and followed her. Marlene opened the door to a small room. On the one wall was a rail with what could loosely be described as outfits hanging there. The other three walls were covered with mirrors. 

Rae stood there, seeing far more of herself than she had ever wanted to when dressed. Marlene had chosen a bronze coloured almost two-piece. "Ok, honey, Lloyd will tell you what he wants you to do, and when to take your things off. You just listen and do as he says and you'll do just fine. I'll come and get you when he's set up." She left the room and Rae sat down on the bench in the corner. She hoped that she hadn't shown the shock she'd felt when Marlene said 'take your things off'. Steve had better make sure they got the negatives for these when the case was over. She wanted to see them burn.

Steve sat in Lloyd's office. They had discussed the cost of the photos and then he had asked what the chances were of getting the pictures in the same magazine that his friend Kelly had been in. Lloyd chewed on his pencil and said, "I just send off what I think they'll like. Then I get a call the next day. If you're good, you get a call from the lady herself."

"Do you have any of the _Pleazure_ magazines here? Only I've got them all but number three."

Lloyd shook his head. "I don't keep 'em here, but I've got the whole lot too. I tell you what, when you come back to see the photos tomorrow, I'll let you have a look at it." Then he got up from his desk, picked up his camera and headed off to his studio. Steve followed behind him, and his eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw Rae walk into the room.

Rae couldn't believe that Steve was going to watch the photos being taken. There were some things that a partner shouldn't see. She walked over to him. "Marcus, honey, I didn't want you to see me. It should be a surprise for you, you payin' for 'em an' all."

Steve, who was delighted to have an excuse to leave, just nodded his head and turned around. He remembered just in time who he was supposed to be and came back over to her. "You make sure you do me proud, sugar, and let 'em know why I love ya." Then he pulled her towards him and kissed her on the lips. He wasn't gentle with her, and he knew he would have to apologise later. Then he turned and left.

Just over an hour later, Rae came back out into the waiting area. She had her white dress back on, and felt overdressed. Steve got up and came over to her. He pulled her close to him and heard her whisper "Get me out of here!"

He walked over to Lloyd; "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. He gave a card to Lloyd with his spare cell phone number on. He only used it when he was undercover and so he was always wary when it rang. "Call me when they're ready. C'mon, sugar, let's go home, and you can show me what you showed the man!" He put his hand on Rae's butt and guided her out of the shop.

As soon as they were out of view Rae turned to Steve. She shuddered. "My God, I have never felt so cheap in my life." 

"Rae, you saved my butt in there, thanks for finding a way to get me out of that room, oh, and I'm sorry about the kiss." Steve started the car and they headed back to the station. 

"Steve, I need the negatives of those pictures. I don't care how you get them, but I want to see them destroyed." She stopped and Steve looked over at her. "Can you imagine what would happen if my stalker got hold of them!" 

It was the first time that Rae had mentioned him all day. Steve turned to her. "We'll have at least enough to search Lloyd's premises, even if we can't charge him. Don't worry, I'll get them for you."

As they turned back into the station Rae wondered whether she was being followed. In this dress he would have a field day.

As they sat at their desks, thankfully back in their normal clothes, Steve suddenly looked up. "I forgot to tell you, Lloyd has a copy of issue three. He's going to bring it in when we go and pick up the pictures tomorrow."

"I wish you didn't have to see them." Rae looked so embarrassed that Steve's heart went out to her. "Nobody has seen that much of me except my mother!"

Rae's phone on her desk rang and she picked it up. "Detective Yeager,"

"Rae? It's Jan. I'm just phoning to make sure you are all right."

"Yeah, so far, but I've been really busy. I'll let you know if anything else happens… Yeah, bye." As she turned away from the phone it rang again.

"Detective Yeager… Hey, Jesse, I think I'll be here until about eight tonight. Then I'm coming over to see Alex… Yeah, I'll meet you there then… Love you. Bye."

Rae ran her fingers through her hair. She had the start of a headache. "We should get some lunch. You know I think I might run home and have a shower. I feel so cheap and dirty. Would that be alright?"

"Yeah, you want me to come?"

"No, I think I can shower on my own, Lieutenant!" Rae smiled over at her partner, she appreciated his concern. "I'll be all right, Steve, thanks all the same. I'll keep my eyes peeled, I promise."

"OK, then, go on. I'm gonna try and find out where Norville would have hidden issue three. It must have something to do with the blackmail. Why else would somebody who distributes the magazine be missing an issue?"

Rae went out to Tom and drove home. She checked her mirror a few times, and she was sure that she wasn't being followed. She parked in her usual place, and went up to the apartment. She opened the door and started to scan the room. She moved further into the living area, not realising that she hadn't fully shut the door, it clicked but did not engage. She dropped her keys on the counter as she passed through the kitchen, and headed for the bedroom. Once she knew it was clear she flopped down on the bed, and shut her eyes. She had tried all day not to think about her stalker, and what he had done, but not thinking was just as big a strain as thinking. After about five minutes she got up, and went into the shower. After she had washed herself thoroughly until she felt a little cleaner, she went and changed into clean jeans, and the baggiest t-shirt she could find. 

She picked up her gun, and her keys, pulled the door to after her and headed towards Tom. Inside the apartment building a shadowy figure walked up to her door. He checked that the door hadn't shut, because of the piece of plasticine over the clip. Satisfied that it worked he removed it, closed the door and hid it back in the corner where he had spent most of the last couple of hours.

Rae picked up some sandwiches for both Steve, and herself, and headed back into the precinct. She had been trying to think where she would hide a magazine, especially if you hated banks, and safety deposit boxes. So far she had come up with nothing. 

Steve was on the phone when she entered so she sat down with her lunch, and carried on thinking. She wondered if Norville had had a girlfriend, or boyfriend. Mario Santos and Daniel Myer knew that he was up to something; maybe the magazine had nothing to do with it. Maybe he spilt his coffee on it, and had never got round to replacing it. _You are babbling to yourself, girl, get a grip!_

Rae's phone rang, "Detective Yeager … Ok, hold on." She picked up a piece of paper. "Where did you say? That's not very far from here, we should be there in say ten minutes."

Rae turned to Steve; he had finished on the phone, and was eating his food. "We just got a call, taxi driver, shot through the back of the head, looks like theft was the motive, the cab was stripped clean, no money, no radio, nothing left."

"Oh, great, another unsolvable crime! Just what we need, ok, let's go." They both stood up, and headed out of the room. As they entered the parking lot Rae could feel rain on her.

"Hey, rain! I didn't think you got that stuff here!" 

Steve smiled at her. "We're just not as used to it as you are, Detective." He paused. "Rae, do you think we could use your car? I'm feeling really tired, reaction to the chloroform, I guess, unless you would like to drive a real car!" 

Rae stuck her tongue out at him, and headed over to his car. "I will drive yours, I must admit it's a nice car!"

Rae was right in her estimation, and ten minutes later they arrived at the scene. Amanda was already working on the body, and they went over to see her.

"Hey, Amanda, how are you?" Rae was pleased to see her friend. They hadn't spent as much time together as she would have liked lately. "Is this as unsolvable as Steve seems to think?"

She nodded. "I would say so, unless we get lucky with the bullet and can match it up to another killing. He's been dead for about three hours I should think, but don't quote me on that. I doubt he knew what hit him. Looks like he drew up to the kerb, and was shot before his passenger got out, or was shot as soon as his passenger got in. Either way finding the person who did it will be hard."

"Were there any finger prints, or hairs left, anything like that?" Steve looked over at her. "A bit of luck would be nice."

"It's a taxi cab, Steve!" She looked at her friend. "You'll have more than you want to deal with. But we'll vacuum the car and check what we get. We'll dust the car too; you know that. But don't hold your breath." 

Rae walked over to the kerb where a very shocked looking lady was standing. Rae imagined she was about forty to forty-five and her hands were shaking. There was a female officer with her. Rae walked up and held out her hand.

"I'm Detective Yeager, ma'am. Was it you who found the body?"

The woman nodded, but didn't speak. She looked as if she was about to fall over. "Why don't we go sit in my car, and you can tell me what happened?" She directed the woman over, and opened the back door. "What's your name, ma'am?

"Jaynie, Jaynie Bennett." 

"Ok, Ms. Bennett, can you tell me what happened then?"

The frightened woman nodded her head, and very haltingly began to talk. "I needed a cab, to get to the mall. It's my daughter's birthday next week, and I wanted to go and get her a present." Steve came over, and stood behind Rae, listening to the tale as well.  "I walked out onto the sidewalk and I saw the car by the kerb. I tapped on the window, to see if he was for hire, y'know. I could see that something was real wrong. I opened his door and I could see…" she stopped and her shaking increased.

Rae put her hand gently on the woman's arm. "Come on, Jaynie, you're almost at the end, just keep going a couple more seconds."

"I could see that he had been shot, I, I, didn't touch him, just his door. Then I went to that phone booth over there and rang 911." She let out a sigh. Her ordeal was over.

"Ok, I want you to go back to the precinct with the lady officer. She'll take your statement down, and if we catch the person that did this, we'll get back in touch with you, all right?"

Jaynie Bennett just nodded her head. She walked back over to the other officer with Rae who explained what she wanted done. Then Rae turned back towards Steve. "Right, what do you want me to do?"

"We need to check to see if the weapon has been dumped. I also need to know if any of the shops on this block had an agitated person in them, probably splattered with blood. I know that the victim's cab had a screen, but it wasn't shot through, so he had to have opened it, and then closed it afterwards. Maybe we'll get lucky with that. So, if you want to start on the shops, I'll have a look at the vehicle."

Rae walked up to the first shop and tried the door, but it was locked. She peered in through the dingy glass and could see that it didn't look as if it had been open in a long time. She moved on to the next shop and pushed that door, it swung open, she entered and looked around. It was a general store, and looked like it sold most things. Rae went up to the counter and got out her I.D. The woman standing there just stared at her. 

"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am, but I need to ask you a couple of questions." The woman just nodded, so Rae continued. "We're investigating a shooting, and I wondered if you heard anything." Answered by a shake of the head, Rae carried on again. "Have you had any agitated or nervous customers in here this morning?" _For goodness sake_ _the cab driver's more agitated than you are!_  Unsurprisingly, Rae got another shake of the head. "Well, thank you, ma'am, I won't take up any more of your time." 

"Hey, aren't you that cop in the Comet?"

Rae turned back to face her. "Yes, ma'am, that's me." She left the store and walked back over to Steve as she felt her face begin to burn.

"Nothing in there, the shops each side are both closed. I hate to admit it, but I think you might be right, Steve, this is a dead end."

Steve smiled at her. "Sometimes we get them. We won't file it away yet. We don't know what Amanda will come up with." Steve saw her face and looked concerned. "Are you ok, Rae?"

"Yeah, the shopkeeper reads the Comet!"

"Oh! Come on, Rae, I'm fed up with getting wet, let's go and visit with Alex. It's warm in there and I'm hungry!"

"Did you not have any lunch?"

"Yes, but hey, I'm a growing Lieutenant!"

"How much bigger do you expect to get?" Rae laughed as Steve stuck his tongue out at her, then they got into Steve's car and Rae drove towards Community General. 

**Tuesday** Well, what a day. I managed to work out how to keep her front door open. That will come in handy tomorrow. And I watched her as she was investigating a cab driver's death. She looked so professional and caring as she spoke to the woman who had found the body. That's the woman I remember from the first time I saw her. That is the woman who will be living with me.

Alex was resting quietly when they got to his room. His face was now livid with bruises. Rae felt all her guilt well up inside her. This wasn't his fight, it wasn't hers either, but he shouldn't have been hurt.

"Hi, Rae," Alex tried to smile, but his face was so bruised and swollen that it looked like a snarl. "How are you feeling?"

"So guilty, you wouldn't believe. I am so sorry, Alex, now you know why I didn't want you to get involved."

"Are you sure that it was him?"

"Who else would it be? He drove at Jesse, and if you hadn't been there he would probably have killed him."

"Hey, I said I wanted to help didn't I?" He lay back on the pillows and Steve and Rae could see that he was very tired.

"Has anybody been in to take a statement from you?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, an Officer Robertson was over this morning. I know him from the Howard case, so it wasn't too bad." He tried to hide a yawn.

"Look, Alex, we'll come back tomorrow ok? You take care." Steve went out of the room and Rae walked over to the young man in the bed. She took his hand in hers.

"Thank you, Alex, for saving Jesse for me."

"Hey, remember what I said about the white coat and stethoscope!"

She joined Steve in the hall and they headed down to the ER. Mark and Jesse were talking by the reception desk as they walked in. Rae took Jesse's hand in hers. "Hey, sweetheart, how's your day going?"

"Not too bad. It's been pretty quiet so far. What about yours?"

"Interesting, I think you could call it interesting. Mark, how are you today?"

"Not too bad. Steve, how are you feeling? You look tired, son."

"Yeah, I am. I think we are gonna call it a day. We can write up our reports tomorrow. Rae, d'you want to drive back to the station so that you can pick up your car, and I'll see you in the morning? You'll make sure you go home, and stay indoors though, won't you?"

Rae nodded. She had no intention of being silly. "I'll see you later, Jesse, let me know when you're home, ok?"

Once their plans were made, Steve and Rae headed back to the precinct. They went into the squad room, checked their messages and made a few quick notes to help jog their memories in the morning. Then they went their separate ways. 

Rae unlocked the door to her flat, once again scanning it with her gun drawn. As she had her back to the door she didn't see the small piece of gum being put back into the lock. Knowing the room was clear Rae shut the door, hearing it click behind her. She put her keys on the work surface and headed for the kitchen. She put some music on the stereo, and began to get something to eat. Her mind was working all the time; trying to work out if there was any way that they could sort out who killed the cab driver. Nobody deserved to die like that, and the least that they could do was find out who was responsible.

After eating her meal she got her book from the bedroom. She had finished the one that Jesse had recommended and now she was reading one of her old books from her social science course. Not through choice, but because it helped her to focus her thoughts on cases. It also helped her feel drowsy and by nine o clock she was ready for bed. She picked up her phone and rang through to Jesse.

"Hi, sweetheart, how long do you think you are going to be? … Ok, look I'm going to go to bed now, I'll see you in the morning … I love you Jesse, good night!" She put the phone down and got into the shower. Fifteen minutes later she was in bed, the blind drawn. It didn't take her long to fall asleep. She felt at home already.

After the apartment had been quiet for about ten minutes, the shadowy figure crept into the living area, he picked up the keys, went about his business, and left as quietly as he had entered. One and a half hours later the keys were back on the work surface and the gum was gone from the door. 

**Tuesday **My plan worked like a charm. She was so intent on checking her rooms that she didn't think about the door until it was too late. How dare she get an apartment all sorted out just for her, when she knows that her place is with me? She'll soon find out what that mistake has cost her. She's had an easy day today, but tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow will be the beginning of the end.


	10. Footsteps 2nd Wednesday

**2nd Wednesday**

For a moment Rae was disorientated when she woke up. Then she realised that she was in her own room in her own apartment. She smiled, and snuggled down under the covers. She looked at her watch. It was just after eight, probably too early to ring Jesse. She didn't know what time he'd got back the night before. She shrugged off the duvet and went into the shower and enjoyed the feeling of the water on her back. As she returned to the bedroom she heard her phone ring.

"Hello? Hey, sweetheart, I didn't want to ring you and wake you up. How about coming round for breakfast? … See you in minute."

Jesse tapped on the door, a small parcel under his arm. Rae opened the door, smiling broadly. "Hey, first visitor, won't you come in?" 

He walked in and smiled at her. "Good morning, beautiful, how did you sleep?" He kissed her gently on the lips, and handed over the present.

"Jesse, what's this?"

"Just a little something. I though you might like to put by your bed." Rae opened it up. Inside were two photo frames, the picture sides together. She separated them, and gasped.

"Oh, Jesse, thank you! How lovely to get nice photos for a change." 

"Oh, God, Rae, I didn't think, I'm so sorry." Jesse could kick himself; fancy giving her photos after everything that she had been through.

"Shhh, they're wonderful. Oh, I remember that." The first picture was one that they'd asked a passer by to take when they were on a day out, wandering around Brentwood for a couple of hours. They were both smiling; they'd had a wonderful time that day. The second one was an up to date one of her three children. "Where did you get this one from?"

Jesse smiled at her; "I e-mailed John and got him to take care of it for me. I'm sorry, Rae, do you really like them?"

"I love them, would you like me to show you how much?" She kissed him and pulled him over to the beanbag. They felt it mould around them before they ignored everything but each other. 

Soon they moved into the other room and Rae felt Jesse push her onto the bed, she relaxed against him, and he began to remove the clothes she had only just put on. She pulled at the t-shirt he was wearing and soon they were lying naked on the bed, Rae smiled shyly at him. "I feel about eighteen, hoping that nobody on my floor needs to borrow any sugar!"

They kissed and explored each other. She felt him enter her and the feelings became so intense that she thought she would take flight. Soon she could take no more. "God, Jesse, now, now!" As she let go of herself, she felt him do the same. They came back down to earth together. They were so close they could almost be one person.

"Oh, Jesse, don't move away, stay here, just a little while longer. I need the feelings that you give me." She looked over at him. When they were together like this, either in his apartment or now her own, she felt that she could shut out all the bad things that had been happening to her. They relaxed together for a little while longer and then Rae got up and headed for the shower. "What shift are you working today?" Jesse heard her voice raised over the noise of the water.

"I start at eleven, but I'll be home by about eight tonight. I'm off tomorrow, then I'm working four days straight, and Friday will be a double shift."

"Yuk, still mine's not much better than yours. I need to be in by ten today. I, unfortunately, am not off tomorrow. I have to be in at eight, same Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then Monday I go back to eleven again." 

Rae came back into the room, and got into the clothes that had been discarded in a heap on the floor. Jesse went into the shower; Rae tidied up the bedroom, and headed out for the kitchen. She had her usual boring breakfast of yoghurt drink, and an apple and then put the water on for a cup of tea. She didn't have a coffee machine so she hoped that instant would do.

"I'll head into work in a minute, honey, what about you?"

"Yeah, I'll probably get in early. I need to write up the report from yesterday and I have to turn in to Sheree about lunchtime. I think I'll be in the jeans again today."

They drank their drinks quietly, and then after Rae had made sure that she had everything she needed to become Sheree, she locked the place up, and they headed off into work.

Rae was just over three quarters of an hour early for her shift, but once again Steve had beaten her in. "Don't you have a home to go to, Lieutenant?"

Steve looked completely confused. "Sorry?"

"You always seem to beat me in. Even when I make an effort to be early."

"I just wanted to get yesterday's murder written up, so that we could get back to the matter at hand."

"You know, I remember you saying that about the Kelly Brown murder. Now look at us." 

Rae sat at her desk, running her fingers through her hair. She had finally managed to speak to Amanda about finding a hairdresser and had just arranged for an appointment in half an hour. "Steve, I'm going to pop out for about an hour, I'm just gonna have my hair cut. It's getting way to long for my liking. See you later." She got up and walked towards to door, "Oh, if you need me the number's on my desk. Bye."

Steve smiled at her back. She seemed a little more relaxed at the moment. He went back to the pile of papers on his desk. They were missing something with all this money, but he just couldn't see it.

Rae hummed to herself as she walked towards Tom; she liked having her hair done. It never took long, but she had always found it very relaxing, and right now she could do with a bit of relaxation. Rae sat in her car and got out her map. She had a good idea where she was going, but it never hurt to double check. 

Fifteen minutes later Rae drew up into a parking lot at a mall quite near to the hospital. She walked through the shopping area looking in the windows as she passed. _I must have another shopping trip with Amanda this place is great._ There was a map on the wall next to an elevator and Rae checked where she was going. The salon was called Dawn's and, according to Amanda, it was one of the best around.

Rae stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the third level. She ran her fingers through her hair again. It was about twice the length she usually kept it. The doors opened and she walked down past some more interesting stores until she got to the one she was aiming for. A bell rang as she entered, and a pretty young girl smiled at her from the reception desk.

"Hi, I'm Rae Yeager, I phoned and booked a hair appointment." 

The receptionist looked in her book. "I'm sorry, Ms Yeager, your boyfriend phoned and cancelled it. He said he might have trouble getting hold of you, but to tell you," She paused and checked her message pad. "That he had changed his mind, he liked it how it was. Sorry." The receptionist, whose badge said Cindy on it looked very apologetic.

Rae felt all the blood fall to her feet. She put her hand out to the counter, took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. "I see. Well, I **don't **like it how it is, and I want it cut, do you have any other appointments I can take?" Rae wasn't sure she had managed to keep the fear and anger out of her voice.

"No, I'm sorry, your appointment was taken almost straight away, and we are fully booked now for today. I can make you an appointment for tomorrow if you would like."

"No, that's ok, I don't know what I'll be doing tomorrow. Thank you, Cindy." Rae turned and went to leave the store.

"I'm real sorry, for the mix up. Have a nice day."

Rae walked back down the hallway to the elevator. She wasn't sure how she felt. How could he have known that she was going to have her hair done when she hadn't known herself until about an hour ago? She felt her anger rise. How dare he decide that she couldn't have her hair cut? Rae took her phone out of her purse to call Steve, but she couldn't get a signal where she was. As she walked back towards Tom her anger started to rise even more.

By the time she got to the car, she was so angry that she knew that if she went back to the precinct she would blast somebody out again, and probably end up having another argument with either Steve or if she managed to hold it in with Jesse later. She thought for a minute, checked that she had her gun on her, even though she knew she did, and decided to pay a visit to the shooting range first.

Steve put his pen down and shook his head. He had gone through all the figures he could find, and had made a right nuisance of himself the amount of times he had been down to the exhibits locker this morning.  But he still couldn't account for why Santos had $1 million in his bank accounts. He must have some other connection to the magazine, or something else, to have that kind of money, but he couldn't see it. Maybe Rae could come up with something. He looked at his watch; she had been gone an awfully long time. He felt uneasy, this wasn't right. Where had she said she was going? Steve got up and walked over to her desk. He picked up a card, which said 'Dawn's Salon' on it with a number underneath. 555-93485 and dialled it.

"Dawn's Salon, how may I help you?"

Steve suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Oh, hi, um, is Ms Yeager still there?"

"Oh, are you the gentleman who phoned this morning to cancel her appointment? No, sorry, I passed your message on, and she left. She seemed a bit upset. Sorry, Sir."

Steve's mind began to race. "How long ago did she leave?"

"About an hour ago."

"Ok, thank you." Steve put the phone down. Something was very wrong here. He went back to his desk and found the number for Rae's new cell phone and dialled it. It rang and rang, but nobody answered it.  He wasn't sure what to do next. Somebody must have heard her book her appointment. _No, not somebody, HIM! He must have heard._ He tried to imagine how Rae would have felt when she found out what he had done. Frightened, he knew she would be frightened. But he had a feeling that she would be angry too. That worried him; he didn't want her to go and do something stupid or dangerous because she let her anger overwhelm her.

The phone began to ring on Rae's desk. Steve picked it up. "Steve? It's Jess. Is Rae there?"

Steve sighed, now he would have to worry Jesse as well. "No, Jess, she isn't."

"Steve, what's up? Why isn't she there, if you are?"

"Hey, we aren't joined at the hip you know." Steve tried to joke, but he knew Jesse wouldn't be fooled.

"Steve, what's happened? Where's Rae?" 

Steve could hear the panic rising in his friend's voice. He took a deep breath. "She went to get her hair cut. But her stalker must have heard her, because he cancelled it for her. That was over an hour ago, she hasn't come back yet, and I can't get her on her cell."

"I'll try as well, Steve, maybe between us we can reach her." 

Steve heard the phone go dead as Jesse put it down without his normal cheery goodbye.  He went over got himself a cup of coffee and headed back towards the phone.

Rae had used all her energy and anger up on the shooting range. When she had first arrived, she had been so angry, that her shooting had been all over the place. But as she focused on the target and deepened her concentration, her breathing had calmed and her racing heartbeat had slowed down. After that her shooting had been very good, and she had actually been quite impressed with herself.

Jesse put the phone down and started to pace up and down. He walked out to the reception desk in the ER and signed himself out for an hour. Then he headed for the precinct.

Steve was trying Rae's phone again when he saw Jesse walk in.

"Sorry, Steve, I just couldn't concentrate on my work, not knowing where she was. I've only got an hour, but I needed to be here." He smiled at his friend, and felt reassured as Steve placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know, buddy. We'll get it sorted out, ok?"

Rae walked towards the exit. She had been surprised how long she had been there. She checked her phone and saw the unanswered call light flashing. She shuddered. _He doesn't have this number; it can't be him. Yeah right. He cancelled your appointment remember. Don't do anything until you are back with Steve._ Her brain carried on whirring until without realising it she was walking back up the stairs to the precinct.

She tried to get her mind back on what she was supposed to be thinking about. Money, it all came down to money she was sure of that. How did a deliveryman have all that money under his bath? Suddenly her face changed, she needed to speak to Steve straight away. 

"Rae! Oh, thank God!" Jesse ran up to her, sending all her thoughts out of her head. 

"Honey, where have you been, we were so worried about you? Why didn't you answer your phone? We've both been calling you." Jesse enveloped her in a hug.

"Jesse!" The word came out muffled as she was pressed up against him. She moved her hands and pushed him away. "Jess, I need to be able to breath and talk. Please let me go."

"Sorry, sweetheart. Where have you been?"

"I would like to know as well, Rae. Why didn't you answer your calls?"

Rae sat down at her desk. "I'm sorry, guys." She took a deep breath and prepared to tell her story. "I went to get my hair cut. I told you that, Steve." She looked at her partner and was surprised to see so much concern in his eyes. "Well, when I got there the appointment had been cancelled – by my boyfriend!" She ran her fingers through her still long hair. "Apparently he had decided that he liked my hair how it was, and didn't want me to get it cut. I was frightened by that, really frightened. Not only must he have been here when I made the call, but he thought he could dictate to me what I did to my appearance." She couldn't stop the shudder that went through her. "Then I got angry. I was so angry that I knew somebody would get blasted." She paused and smiled a small tight smile. "One of you two probably! So, rather than let the anger take over I went to the shooting range, and killed a few targets. I didn't answer my phone in case the calls were from him." She put her hand up. "I know, there is no way he could have the number, but hey, fear is irrational, at least it was in my case. I'm really sorry."

Rae stood up and walked over to Jesse. She kissed him on the lips and then clung to him. The other detectives in the room must have sensed something, because there were no catcalls and Rae and Jesse were left completely alone. After a few minutes Rae took a deep breath. "Go back to work, darling. I'm all right now. I'll see you tonight. I'm sorry about this."

Jesse didn't look at all convinced, but he nodded. "Call me if anything else happens. ok?" He kissed her once more, waved at Steve and headed out of the room.

Rae followed him with her eyes. Then she went over to the coffee machine and got herself a cup of boiling water. She sat down at her desk and opened the drawer to get out a tea bag. "Steve!"

He was there in an instant. Rae pointed to an envelope in her drawer and he pulled on a pair of gloves. He picked up the envelope, which once again had her name typed on it. "Do you want me to open this, Rae?" She just nodded, so he slit it open with her letter opener and read the contents.

**_"_**_How dare you decide to have your hair cut without checking with me first? You'll find that I will make this sort of decision when we are together. As you've seen I have the power to change any arrangements you make. I will not tolerate you making any plans without my say so. You have been warned.**"**_

Rae's face had no colour. She put her head down on her desk. "Give me a couple of minutes, Steve. I'll be all right in a couple of minutes." 

Steve could see her try to gather herself, but as he watched he knew that she was failing. Part of him wished that she would let go and cry, but he knew that the squad room was the last place she would let her emotions get the better of her. As the thoughts went through his mind he saw her square her shoulders. 

"Right. I am not going to think about it. I'll go crazy if I do. I have something important to talk to you about. Something we missed with Norville."

"What, I didn't think we had missed anything." Steve's mind was reeling. One minute she had been a mess, unable to even lift her head off the desk. Now she was back on the case, and pointing out what errors they had made. He shook his head. Amazing.

OK, **Detective**, what did we miss?"

"His work locker! We didn't check where he worked did we? Oh, we made sure he actually did work there, but that was all."

"You mean magazine number three?" 

She nodded. "Did he have more than one key on his key ring?"

"Hold on, let me find the inventory of stuff we pulled from his apartment." Steve was leafing through papers now, and soon he picked out what he needed. "Let's see. Magazines, black box, three discs, wallet, money! Keys. Plural, it says keys." They headed off together towards the evidence lockers and soon were on the way back to their desks with a set of keys with a L.A. Raiders key chain. "Ok, this must be the key to his front door, this one's his car, which was checked by the way, before you ask. Forensics went over it and found nothing. But this one, looks like a locker key. C'mon let's go!"

Soon they were heading for the distribution company where Ethan Norville had been employed. They went into the office and asked to speak to the manager. A young and completely bored looking woman walked off towards the door at the back of the room.

"The police want to see you Mr. Little… Yes Sir." Then she turned and walked back. "You can go straight in." She sat down and started to type again. _Thank goodness I have an interesting job _Rae thought_, dangerous, but interesting._

"Good morning, Mr. Little, I'm Lieutenant Steve Sloan, this is my partner Detective Reagan Yeager, we're investigating the death of one of your employees, Ethan Norville."

"Yes, terrible tragedy that, terrible. But I did speak to two officers just after it occurred. What extra information do you need?"

"We found these keys at Mr. Norville's apartment, and we think this is a locker key. Do you provide your employees with lockers, Mr. Little?"

"Yes, Sir, we do, that looks similar to my locker key, but I believe that we have already allocated Ethan's locker to somebody else."

"Do you know who that would be, Sir?" Rae looked at the man behind the desk. "Only it could be very important for us to know what was actually in there when it changed hands."

"Oh, I can tell you that. The contents are now in a box in one of our storerooms. I'll get it for you if you would like."

"If you don't mind, we'll come with you." Steve headed towards the door, which he opened, and waited for the man to walk through. The storeroom was just down the hallway, and they were soon looking in a small box, which held Ethan Norville's possessions. There was no magazine.

"Was there anything else?" Rae looked through the contents of the box.

"What exactly are you looking for, Detective?"

"A magazine, a magazine called _Pleazure_, edition three."

"I don't know, Detective, he often had that sort of magazine, but I don't remember seeing one when we emptied his locker. I'm sorry, is it important?"

"It could be, Sir, if you find it could you please ring either Detective Yeager or myself on this number." Steve handed over one of his cards and they headed back out towards the car.

Steve drove back to the station; he looked over towards his partner and noticed that Rae looked pre-occupied. He wasn't surprised, but he was concerned. He knew that she tried to keep her worries to herself, and whenever they'd been out working she had been efficient and professional. But she'd had a rough morning. "Rae, are you alright?"  She nodded. He wasn't convinced, but he had expected nothing more.

As they walked over to their desks Steve's spare mobile rang. He picked it up and listened. He shut his phone off and turned to Rae. "Our friend Lloyd called, it's time for Marcus and Sheree to hit the town again." He smiled at her, but she just picked up her bag and headed for the ladies room.

Fifteen minutes later they were back in Steve's car and on their way once again to Perfect Pics. Steve stopped the car a block away and turned to his partner. Rae hadn't said a word for over an hour. "Rae, talk to me, what's the matter?" 

She looked at him and he realised that he couldn't read her at all. "I'm sorry, Steve, it's nothing. I don't want to talk about it. No that's not true, I do, but there's nothing I can do about it, so it doesn't matter."

"Detective, I have no idea what you are talking about, but I know you're worried about something, so talk to me!"

"I don't want you to see the photographs!"

"What?" Steve looked at her; he thought she was concerned about something to do with her stalker, with what had happened that morning, not the current case.

"The photos, I can't get out of my mind how cheap and ...  and, and well, I just don't want you to see them, ever."

"Rae, we have to go get them, and hopefully find out who this Ms. Lane is. I don't think we can do that without these pictures." He paused and thought for a moment. "I tell you what, you go and pick them up, and I'll wait just inside the door. You can say that you're going to show them to me later. But if he has sent them on to the magazine then we'll have to go along with that for now. He's supposed to be bringing the missing issue in, maybe that will help."

Rae just nodded her head; maybe she would be able to get rid of the worst ones without either Steve or Jesse seeing them. Steve started up the car again and soon they were out on the sidewalk and back in character.

Rae walked _teetered; if I ever have to wear these shoes again it'll be too soon _into the photo store, her purse swinging on her shoulder. The bell rang and as she looked around, to her horror she saw a picture of herself up on the wall! "Hey, Marcus, honey, don't I look pretty!" Rae wanted the ground to open up; she had never been so embarrassed in her life. For the first time she was glad that she could hide her feelings behind Sheree. She went up to the counter and there was Marlene, looking her normal cheerful self.

"Hey, Marlene, does my baby get a discount 'cos I'm up on your wall?" Rae chewed on the gum she had popped just before they had entered. Marlene looked right through her and smiled at Steve. "Do you want me to get Lloyd for you?"

"Yep, he and I have some things to talk about." Steve walked over to Rae and put his hand on her waist. She felt him give her a gentle squeeze, and she placed her hand over his. She knew that it was Steve reassuring her, not Marcus groping her.

Lloyd came up and into the room with a folder in his hands. Rae could see herself through the transparent cover. "Can I take them, Lloyd, I was plannin' a surprise meal for my man later, with these as the main course!" _For goodness sake, uugh!_ She smiled at Lloyd and reached over to take the folder.

"Not yet, missy, I have business to conduct with your 'man'. The lady at _Pleazure_ magazine is running a feature on older models and wants you in it!" Rae resisted the temptation to ram the photos down his throat, and then seeing that Steve was having a problem keeping a straight face trod on his foot as she moved in front of him.

"Aw, Lloyd, can't I just have a little look at them while you talk? I'll take real good care of them!" She tried to look pathetic, _which in this outfit isn't hard_, she felt very pathetic.

Lloyd gave in and handed the folder over. Steve followed him into the back room and Rae sat down where she could see what was going on. "So, Lloyd, what did you want to say? Hey, man, did you get that magazine?" Steve looked across the desk wondering what was going to happen next. He didn't think they'd been spotted, but Lloyd had just split them up again. 

"Yeah, here you go." He handed a magazine across the desk and Steve hoped that there was no reaction on his face; there on the cover was Mario Santos' wife. 

"Thanks, can I borrow this, I'll bring it back?" Steve started to flick through the magazine. What he saw on page five made him draw in a gulp of air.

"No way, man, way you're looking at her, I'll never see it again." Lloyd held his hand out for the magazine.

"I'll need to take this magazine with me." Steve stood up and Rae, sitting outside saw him reach into his pocket for his I.D. She rose and headed for the office door. Marlene appeared in front of her. 

"Stay right there, ma'am." Rae eased her I.D. from her pocket and showed the clearly shocked woman. 

"I need the information in this magazine for an ongoing murder investigation." Steve saw Lloyd reach down and a gun was in his hand before the drawer was fully open. "Don't try it." Steve's tone was icy. His gun was pointed straight at Lloyd.

Rae seeing what was going on reached into her purse and pulled out her gun as well. "Step over to the wall, turn round, and put your palms against it." Rae smiled at the woman as she directed her from behind the counter. Marlene didn't have a gun, but she did have an extremely thin stiletto blade in her boot. Rae put the cuffs on her and sat her down on one of the chairs. Then she went over and locked the entrance door and looked over to see how Steve was doing.

"I think we'd better take this down town, don't you, Lloyd?" Steve put his cuffs on the photographer, picked up the gun, bagged it and then got his cell phone out and called for some back up to come and search the store. While they waited Steve kept Lloyd in his office. He shut the door and then came round to face the man. "Where are the negatives of the photos you took of my partner?"  Lloyd just stared at him. "I suggest that you tell me, because it will be the difference between a thorough search, and demolition when my men arrive."

Lloyd looked up at him and held his gaze. Then after about thirty seconds he looked away. "Top drawer of the file cabinet, under 'Sheree'." Steve walked over to the cabinet, his eyes never leaving his prisoner. He opened the drawer and keeping his gun raised at Lloyd began to search. It didn't take him long to locate the file he was looking for, and remove it. 

"Are these the only ones?" Lloyd nodded. "My suggestion still stands. If my men find any more photos of 'Sheree' it will be my pleasure to develop this further!" There was a rap at the front entrance and Steve looked around. He could see Martin Robertson and his partner waiting the other side of the glass. Rae got up and opened the door. 

"Hi, Martin," Rae blushed as she saw the young officer let his eyes roam. "Steady, Officer! Let's go, Lieutenant Sloan is in the other room." Martin turned to his partner and told him to keep an eye on Marlene.

Steve explained what he wanted the two men to do; he then took Lloyd and Rae took Marlene out to the car. Rae looked over to him. "Do you think we should send them some more help?" Steve nodded and Rae put in the call.

It took just over an hour to process Lloyd and Marlene. Lloyd was detained, because he had pulled his gun on Steve. Then they got changed, Steve went out for some lunch, and they sat at their desks eating in silence. When Steve had finished he walked over to Rae's side, and put the folder he had been guarding down next to her. She opened it up, and then smiled at him. "Thank you, Steve." She took the envelope out of the folder. "Once this is all over I intend to set fire to them." She looked over at her partner again, and noticed for the first time the satisfied smile he had on his face. "Ok, out with it, you're grinning like the cat that got the cream."  Steve said nothing, he just handed her the magazine, issue three, and continued to grin.

Rae stared at the face on the cover, and then looked up at Steve. 

"I believe you will find what you are looking for on page five, Detective." 

She turned the pages and there, as large as life was Mrs. Santos, Rae looked at the headline on the page. 'Sexy Sandi, Feast Your Eyes on our Managing Director, Beauty and Brains in one cute package!' "I think we need another little talk with Mrs. Santos."

"I think so too, let's go." Steve was off across the room before Rae was even standing up. 

"Hey, wait for me!" She took off after him, a smile on her face, at last this was moving. _It's not the only thing._

Rae and Steve drew up outside the Santos house two hours later. They had stopped to pick up a search warrant and another unit was on its way. They got out of the car, and walked up to the door. Rae pressed the bell; they could hear sounds inside, and in a moment a woman bearing a striking resemblance to Mrs. Santos answered the door. Rae held up her I.D. "Good afternoon, is Mrs. Santos home?" 

If the woman was shocked she hid it well. "Yes, of course, won't you come in?" She walked into the house in front of them. "Sandi, the police are here to see you." Then she walked away from them, and left them standing in the hallway. Sandi Santos came down the stairs towards them.

"Lieutenant, what can I do for you?" 

"We would like to search your home, Mrs Santos, I have a warrant here which gives us the authority to do just that." Steve held up the document, which Mrs. Santos took and read slowly from beginning to end. Steve very rarely had that happen to him, and he stood there, looking a little uncomfortable. 

Finally when she had finished she handed it back to him, and smiled. "Go right ahead, Lieutenant. I trust you will have no objection if I call my lawyer?" 

Steve shook his head. "If you think you need his assistance you go right ahead, ma'am." 

Rae walked over to him. "Where would you like me to start?" 

Steve let a smile cross his lips. "I think it's your turn to take the bedrooms, Detective." Rae went up the stairs and saw Steve head towards the living area. 

Sandi Santos' bedroom was as understated as Kelly Brown's had been lavish. The entire room was white; it was almost empty of any ornamentation. There was one picture of two children up on the wall and a glass unicorn standing on a table underneath the window. Apart from that the room was bare. Rae started off by searching the drawers, which contained nothing apart from what they were supposed to. She took all the drawers out, but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. She then stripped the bed down to the mattress, which she turned. Again nothing. As she picked up a cushion to put back on to the remade bed she noticed that the corner of the carpet was coming away from the skirting board. _Baseboard_ Rae pulled it back a little further and there, carefully hidden from sight, was a floor safe.

"Lieutenant, could you please come up here a minute?" Steve came to the bottom of the stairs. Rae smiled at him and indicated that she needed him.

"At last, how long does it take to search a bedroom?" Steve came up the stairs. He looked at the neat room. "Only you would tidy up after a search! So, what do you have, Detective? It would appear it's your turn to grin." Rae said nothing, but led him to the corner of the bedroom. "Ok, we need to get into this. I'll just go and get the lady of the house.

Steve returned a couple of minutes later with Mrs. Santos in tow. "We need the combination to your safe, Mrs. Santos, if you don't mind." 

Rae saw the woman blanche under her gaze. _You didn't think we'd find it did you? _

"I… I… I didn't know that was there, Lieutenant, it must be Mario's." 

"I don't think so, ma'am, unless you have slept in this perfectly ordered bedroom with the carpet up in the corner for the last few days. Now, could we please have the combination?"

Sandi Santos shook her head; she tried again. "I… I… haven't been sleeping in here."

Rae held up a pair of white satin pyjamas, which she had found, folded neatly on the ottoman at the end of the bed. "Oh, I think you have. We will get the combination, but it would be so much better if you gave it to us."

"Twenty-five, Oh, Six, Twenty-five." 

"Thank you," Rae said acidly.

Steve moved over and turned the combination lock, they all heard it click and then as Steve opened the lid Rae moved around behind the woman standing in the middle of the room. "I think now would be a good time to call that lawyer of yours, Mrs. Santos."

By the time they got Mrs. Santos down town and her lawyer had met up with her it was gone six. Rae and Steve had the list of the contents of the safe in front of them as they tried to bring all the loose ends together. The gun that they had found had been sent to ballistics so that it could be checked against the bullets that killed Norville, Santos, and Brown. Also on there were the legal documents showing that Sandra Santos nee Lane was the sole owner of _Pleazure magazine _in Los Angeles, and at least a joint owner elsewhere in the country_._ There was also paperwork that showed Mario as a part owner of _Pleazure _in three other cities, although whether Mario had actually known that they had no idea. They had read the blackmail letters sent by Ethan Norville, threatening to tell Mario that not only was she his boss in distributing the magazine and protecting the photographers, but also that she was redirecting a proportion of the profits for her own use.

"You know if she owned most of the magazine in almost all the places it is available, surely she could have paid herself however much money she wanted. Why take it illegally?" Rae looked puzzled. It seemed to her that Mrs Santos had broken the law for no reason.

"I guess that she had to find a way to be able to spend some of her ill gotten gain, without Mario becoming suspicious. She obviously didn't want him to know what she did for a living. So putting her husband on the payroll was what she came up with." Steve paused; the conclusions were coming easier now that they knew what was going on.

Rae nodded. "Well, there is something to be said for keeping in all in the family."

"I wonder how Norville found out about it." 

"And about the account deficits. Well, we know he had the discs, but I wonder where he got them from."

Rae's phone rang and she picked it up, casting a worried glance over to Steve as she did so.  "Detective Yeager … yes that's right… thank you... What, you're kidding? That's brilliant, thank you very much." She put the phone back down with a smile. "The bullets match, but she only shot Norville and Santos. When you ask for a rush job you certainly get it don't you?"

"I think it's time for an official, little talk with Ms. Lane." The little talk took almost three hours. By the time she'd been taken away to be fitted for the orange jumpsuit Rae and Steve had been working for just over twelve hours. They had little more information; Mrs. Santos didn't know where Norville had got the CDs. All she knew was that it was worth her while to pay him, until he got greedy, and started to demand more and more from her. Then she decided that it was time to stop him once and for all. 

She also admitted killing her husband, she thought that she had covered her tracks and got rid of all the third issues of the magazine, but Norville had suggested to Santos that it would be a good idea for him to look at his copy. When Santo had confronted her she had admitted to being featured in the magazine and his boss. He had apparently lost it. It seemed he could happily condone his own behaviour in being a cop and working for an illegal magazine. But finding out that his wife was the owner of said magazine had been too much for him. He had told her that he would have to inform his superiors about it. She had tried to talk him out of it and failed, so finally she had followed him when he went on duty and killed him.

Rae stretched in her chair, "She didn't kill Kelly. You know that, don't you? There was no connection after all. The connection was between Santos and Norville, and we only got Santos because the Chief called us in." Rae was smiling broadly; she didn't look at all upset that this was the case. 

"You don't appear too heartbroken about this, Detective."

"That's because I know who did kill her! Ballistics got another match, the bullet that killed Kelly came from Lloyd's gun!"

Steve began to smile, then laugh. He leant back in his chair and enjoyed the moment. Rae joined in, and for the first time in what felt like a long time, they laughed together. 

By the time that Lloyd had been formally charged with murder, Rae was ready to sleep at her desk. 

Steve looked over at her. "I can't believe that he would murder her because she didn't want to be a call girl any more. We'll look closer, but I think you will find that our friend Lloyd has quite a few girls on his books." Steve paused. "Well, Detective, I think we should go home now, only stopping to buy a lottery ticket each on the way!" 

Keen to get out of the office Rae needed no encouragement. She put her cell phone into her drawer, grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair, locked up her desk, and headed for the exit. Steve followed her out.

"Why are you leaving your cell in your desk?"

"Just in case, I don't want _him_ to get my number so I figured leaving it in a police station in a locked desk was the safest bet!"

"Are you ok, Rae? What time does Jesse finish tonight?"

She checked her watch "He should be home already, he said he would be in by eight. If I have any problems I will dial 911, I promise!" With a smile Rae got into Tom and headed home. 

She parked in her usual place, remembered to use the alarm and decided to call on Jesse before she went home.

"Hey, beautiful! How was the rest of your day? You look great, did something good happen after I left?"

"Yep sure did! We solved all three of the murders, Kelly Brown, Ethan Norville and Mario Santos. I tell you Jesse it's a great feeling. Anyway I'm going to go and have a shower, grab some tea and have a slouchy evening, you're welcome to join me if you'd like."

Jesse smiled at her; she looked so much more relaxed. "We're ok aren't we, Rae, we've got past Sunday haven't we?"

Rae put her hand up to his face. "We're fine, Jess, don't worry about it any more. It's finished. She moved towards him and kissed him passionately on the lips. I love you, Jesse, I love you so very much."

"I love you too, Rae, I won't mention it again. Let me grab my keys." They went out into the hallway together and Rae pulled her keys out of her pocket. But as she pushed them into the lock the door moved. Rae looked over at Jesse, her good mood forgotten and her heart beating so loudly she was sure he could hear it. She took out her gun and gestured to him to move behind her. She pushed open the door with her foot and Jesse heard her let out a gasp. "Oh, my God, Jesse." She turned away from the door, all her training forgotten. The gun hung limply by her side; her right hand covered her mouth. Jesse went to move around her, but she put a hand on his arm, suddenly needing to keep him safe. "No, don't, get Steve on the phone. Ask him to come down here, now." 

She slid down the wall into a sitting position on the floor. Jesse took his phone out of his pocket and put in a call to Steve. "You need to tell me what to say to him, Rae, why does he need to come here? Oh, hi, Steve, it's Jesse here, listen, buddy can you come over here right now? Something's happened… no she's OK, but she needs you… yeah see you in a while."

Jesse sat down on the floor next to Rae, "What's happened in there, Rae?" She leant over and pushed the door back open with her foot. Jesse could now see into the room. It had been totally trashed; it looked as if a hurricane had been through it. "Oh, Rae, sweetheart, I'm so sorry, come here." He put his arm around her and she snuggled up to him. They sat that way until Steve arrived. Neither of them had any idea of how much time had passed. They hadn't spoken a word to each other; they had just needed to be together.

"Rae, Jesse, what happened?" It wasn't Steve who spoke, but Mark. Rae got to her feet, and moved towards them.

"He ransacked my home, Mark, look at it." Steve pushed at the door with an elbow and they both saw the devastation for themselves.

"This guy has got to be stopped. This has gone way past anything anyone should have to put up with." Steve was trying very hard to keep his emotions under control, but it wasn't easy. He put through a call to the precinct and requested a team to come and deal with the apartment.

"Come on, Rae, let's go into Jesse's until the others arrive."

Rae pulled herself together a little, and realised that she hadn't secured the area. "No, wait. Steve, I haven't actually been in, he may still be there."

In an instant Steve had his gun drawn, he edged slowly into the room, scanning it as he went. He was horrified by the violence that had been used. All the new furnishings had been destroyed, there was broken glass and china everywhere. He moved into the bedroom again there was nothing left, but here there was a message. Written across the wall was 'Soon You WILL Be Mine'. 

Steve walked back out of the room, checking the bathroom as he went. He shook his head to Rae, "No, nobody in there. Come on, I think we all need something to drink." They were sitting drinking their tea and coffee's when the SCU arrived. Steve went back out to them and spoke to Martin Robertson.

"Ok, guys? This is Detective Yeager's apartment. She's been having a problem with a stalker lately. This appears to be his latest attention-seeking move. There's a message in the bedroom, I want a picture of that. Did you call anybody in?"

"Yeah, Phil Levington, he was at home. He should be here in five minutes; he doesn't live far from here. Officer Burlington is also on her way." As Martin spoke Steve could see him coming up the hallway.

"Lieutenant? What are you doing here? Is this a homicide?"

"No, but it's a cops apartment, Rae's apartment actually." Phil looked puzzled. If you go in you'll see." Steve led the way into the living area. 

"Wow, I see what you mean." Phil looked around him. "Would you like me to just snap away, Lieutenant?

"Yeah, make sure that you have a picture of every bit of each room. One day we **will** get this guy and we'll need them as evidence. Look this isn't my investigation, I'll be next door with Rae if you need me."

"OK, Lieutenant."

Steve went back into Jesse's apartment. "They're in there now, Rae, did you want me to get Jan to come in here when she arrives?"

Rae nodded her head. Steve dialled the cell phone number that Rae handed him. "Jan, Steve Sloan here. Listen; when you come over, Rae is in Jesse's apartment. Rae could hear Steve giving the apartment number over the phone. She couldn't believe what she had seen, albeit briefly; her flat was ruined. 

"She's coming over right away. Phil Levington is in there at the moment, taking pictures. When he's finished you'll need to go and see if anything is missing."

Rae just nodded again. She looked at Jesse and he smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'll be right there with you. We could look in one room while they're photographing the other couldn't we? Get it over with a bit quicker?"

"Yeah, Jesse, as long as you don't touch anything. I doubt if they'll have dusted yet."

The four of them got up and headed for the hallway. Rae and Jesse went right into the room, Steve and Mark stayed by the door. Rae had her hand holding tightly to Jesse's. She stood in the middle of the floor and looked about her. The beanbag had been slashed, as had the cushions and her sofa, which had also been pushed over on its side. All the cupboards in the kitchen had been opened, and on the floor foodstuffs mingled with broken crockery.

Martin came over towards Rae, "Detective, could you come and look at this?" He guided her over to the kitchen and there on the counter, in a clear space amongst all the destruction, was a present, beautifully wrapped with a tag attached to it. Martin gently lifted the end of it with his pen; the card said **'To My Love, a girl's best friend.'**

"Should I open it do you think?" Rae didn't know what to do. 

"Wait until Officer Burlington gets here, see what she says." Martin looked at the pain in Rae's eyes. Then he turned and headed back towards the bedroom. Jesse and Rae stood, hand in hand, neither of them moved.

Mark broke the silence. "What time did you get home, Jesse? This must have made a helluva noise."

"I finished at seven, and was home just before eight. I certainly didn't hear anything. I would've called Steve if I had."

Rae walked towards the bedroom; she'd let go of Jesse's hand now and was running her fingers through her hair. She stopped in the doorway and saw the message on the wall. "No, no, how could anybody do this to me?" She turned and ran from the room, "No, God, no!" and straight into Steve's arms. He could feel her shaking as he held her. He felt awkward with Jesse there, but he tightened his grip around her and let her rest on his chest. "Oh, Steve, I don't think I can carry on like this. I know what's in that package, but I don't know what to do, please help me." Steve looked down at her, he was worried that she would collapse.

"Lieutenant?"

Jesse was there to take hold of her. He held her gently, but she could feel his strength flow into her. "Jesse, can I stay with you tonight?"

"Hey, like you have to ask!" He kissed her on the forehead and then moved her out of the way as Phil came back into the hallway.

"I've finished now. I'll get these back to the officer in charge as soon as I can. Detective, I'm so sorry that this happened to you. I hope my pictures will help." With that he took his leave of the shocked foursome.

"Let's get out of here, Jesse, I think I've seen enough." Rae shuddered and Jesse led her back into his own apartment. They hadn't been there more than a couple of minutes when there was a knock on the door. Rae jumped.

"Easy, easy, I'll get it." 

"No, Jesse, I'll get it." Steve got up and looked through the peephole, then he opened the door and Jan stepped inside. She went straight over to Rae and crouched down in front of her.

"Detective," she put her hand over Rae's and squeezed. "What happened?" 

"Hey, slow down a bit, you're hardly in the room, would you like a drink of anything?" Jesse was immediately defensive.

"No, thank you, doctor. I didn't think there was any point in beating about the bush, we all know why I'm here after all."

Rae smiled slightly, "It's all right, Jesse. Have you seen my flat? All the stuff that I bought on Monday has been ruined. There's nothing left. And he wrote on my wall. 'You WILL Be Mine'… no sorry 'Soon, You WILL Be Mine.' And he left me a gift, beautifully wrapped. You know, I don't think I can take any more of this." She put her head in her hands. "Ooh, I just wish I knew who it was. I can't fight an invisible enemy."

"Look, I came to see you first, now I want to go and see what he's done. Will you come with me, Detective?"

"I will if you start calling me Rae again, I feel you're cross with me when you call me Detective."

Jan smiled, "I'm not cross, I'm trying to keep professional with somebody that I would actually like to be friends with."

"Oh," Rae sounded genuinely surprised. "I'll let you off then." She got off the sofa and she and Jan left the room together. Jesse tried to follow, but Steve put out his hand and stopped his friend.

"Let them be, Jess, she'll be fine with Jan."

As they walked across the hallway Rae could feel herself getting tenser. _You can do this. Just keep walking._ She didn't want to go back in the apartment, but she knew she had to. _You have to live here, so just do it. Nobody beats you but yourself._ She took a deep breath and walked back into the room. She stood there and looked at the devastation. The officers were still working, but Rae took no notice of them. 

"Rae, I am so sorry this had to happen to you. You have got to be so careful now; this guy is full of rage for you. I think you need to move into a hotel or a safe house for a while."

"No, I'll stay with Jesse tonight and then tomorrow I'll think about it. I can't do it tonight. What should I do about this present; do you want me to open it? I know what it is." 

"How do you know that without opening it?"

"Because it says on it 'a girl's best friend. It's a diamond, in one form or another."

"Yes, open it, carefully, so that we can save the paper and the tag." Jan handed Rae a pair of gloves, which she pulled on and then picked up the box. 

Rae looked at her hands. They were shaking. "I think you had better do it. I might tear the paper." She handed it to Jan and watched as she undid the wrapping. Jan let out a little gasp as she opened the box inside. She turned it to face Rae and she could see a beautiful solitaire diamond ring nestled on the velvet interior.

"My, God, that must have cost a fortune."

"There's no jewellers name on this box, maybe he got it from a pawn shop. I'll get somebody on it first thing in the morning. But I would guess that he now thinks that you and he are engaged." 

Rae turned from her and walked into the bedroom. It was the first time she had actually gone into the room. She crouched down, and Jan saw her pick up something. Rae looked at it and dropped it back on the floor. 

"What is it…? Rae?" There was no response; she didn't think that Rae had even heard her. "Detective!" Jan knelt down on the floor, Rae was staring downwards. She put her hand out to pick up what she was looking at. "Can I see?" Rae passed it over. It was the photo of Jesse and Rae she had got just that morning. Jesse's face had been cut out completely. "Come on, Rae, I don't think we're going to gain anything more by staying in here." 

**Wednesday** The key copying went without a hitch. I hid in the parking lot this morning and watched as they both went off to work. In fact by eleven there was nobody in the building at all, except me. Her apartment was completely tidy when I got there, all the furniture she had chosen with him. Food so that she could cook him meals. I soon sorted that out. And on her nightstand there was a picture of the two of them together. I got rid of him in the photo and tomorrow I'll get rid of him from her life. There was a picture of her children too, smiling at her all the way from London. Let them stay there; they have no place in our life together. She will realise now that we are a couple. I left my gift to her on the kitchen counter. A beautiful ring, for my beautiful woman.

Rae and Jan walked back to Jesse's apartment and tapped on the door. Steve opened it and they went inside. Jesse took one look at Rae and moved to her side. "Rae, sweetie what is it? What did you find?"  Jan handed over the picture, which was now in a plastic bag. Jesse's face paled as he saw what had happened to the photo. He passed it onto Steve.

"I guess that means I'm next, huh?" 

"The gift had a diamond ring in it, Jesse." Rae's head was swimming with all that had happened. 

"My, God." Jesse's voice was no more than a whisper.

"He will consider himself engaged to Rae now. Which puts you at even more risk, Jesse." Jan looked serious. This was giving her the creeps and she dealt with this type of thing all the time.

"I'll get a guard outside the door right away." Steve picked up his cell phone. Mark walked over to where Rae was standing.

"Rae, look at me. Rae." Rae turned toward her friend. Her face was haunted.

"I'm scared, Mark, not for me, but for Jesse. Take him to your place, maybe he'll be safer there."

"No way, Mark," Jesse protested. "He knows where the beach house is, he attacked Steve there. Besides I'm not leaving her here on her own, we're in this together!"

"No, Jesse, he's already put Steve and Alex in the hospital, if he hurts you I don't know what I'll do. Please, Jesse, go with Mark and Steve." 

"I think you'll be better off together tonight. There'll be a guard on the door. I don't think that he'll go after Steve again, or Mark, but if Jesse's with them then they could be in danger." It was Jan who spoke, the air of authority that she had in her voice stopped the argument dead.

"Ok, Jan, this is your field after all, I'm inclined to defer to you on this." Steve turned to Jesse and Rae. "I want you to keep your cell phone on all night. Anything, and I mean anything at all; you call 911, and alert your guard. Then you ring me. What shift are you on tomorrow, Jesse?"

"I'm off tomorrow, I'll stay in all day. I'm not stupid, Steve, I'll watch my back."

"Rae, I want you to ring me when you wake up in the morning, whatever has happened during the night." 

"I will, go on, you had better get home, or neither of us will be in a fit state to write our end of case reports tomorrow." 

Mark walked over to her and gave her a hug, "You be careful, sweetie, remember everything that Steve told you."

"I will, Mark, thank you for coming over. I hope you haven't put yourself in any danger."

"I doubt it, I think I'm too old to be a threat."

Rae smiled and turned to Steve. "Thanks, partner, I really needed you here tonight." She moved over to where he was standing and they hugged. Steve looked down at her; he was extremely worried about her safety. 

"I'll see you in the morning about nine. I'll bring dad with me, you bring Jesse with you, that way we'll all be together and we can go through everything that we've got and see what we can come up with. Sleep tight." He kissed her on the cheek and then as Mark walked over towards the door he joined him. They were about to open it when there was a knock from outside.

"Excuse me, Sir, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be here tonight." It was Martin Robertson who spoke.

"Haven't you been on duty almost all day?" Steve looked at the young officer, who did look a little tired.

"Yes, Sir, but they were short on manpower so I offered to cover this."

"Well, make sure you do a proper job. Good night."

"Good night, Lieutenant."

Steve and Mark took their leave, and Jan followed them out.

Suddenly the room was silent, Rae and Jesse sat looking at each other. "Let's go to bed, Jesse. I doubt if either of us will sleep, but at least we can snuggle up together and wait for the morning to come.

They wandered into the bedroom. Rae got onto the bed fully clothed and Jesse did the same. She put her gun on the nightstand and then she turned and faced him. "When this is all over, I think we could do with a couple of days away on our own. What do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." He smiled at her and drew her into his arms. Rae closed her eyes and once again took comfort in being with him, and although she had thought she wouldn't be able too, she was soon drifting off to sleep.

**Wednesday **Oh, the activity at the apartment this evening. I thought she would never get home, but they solved their murder case today, would you believe it? The one night she should have been home on time she was late. I thought she would have got the message when she saw what I had done to her home, but no, she just clung on to the cop and the doctor, as if they have any place in her life now. She'll see tomorrow that I am the only one who can give her what she deserves. Tomorrow will be my day at last.


	11. Footsteps 2nd Thursday

**2nd Thursday**

It was three in the morning when the phone rang. Jesse picked it up. "Dr. Travis… no that's alright… Yeah, I'll be there in about half an hour… bye." He put the phone down and gently shook Rae by the shoulder. "Rae, honey, I have to go into the hospital, will you be alright on your own?"

"What? … Oh, yeah, Martin's outside the door, I'll be fine… Why do they need you?"

"Just short staffed is all, go back to sleep. I'll ring you when I'm finished, ok?" She did as he said, and Jesse breathed a sigh of relief. The voice on the phone had said that Alex had taken a turn for the worse; it looked like an infection had set in. He didn't want to worry her before he knew what was going on. He got out of bed, and quickly got changed. After kissing her gently on the cheek he headed out towards the guard.

"Officer Robertson, I just got called into the hospital. I'll be very careful. Rae's still asleep." Jesse walked down the hallway; he stifled a yawn, and hoped that today wouldn't be as long as yesterday. If he got Alex on to a broad spectrum antibiotic as soon as he got in …He was miles away as he walked towards his car, already treating his friend in his mind. He didn't hear a sound, but suddenly he felt a cloth over his mouth. _Just like Steve. _He had no chance to fight back before he slipped into unconsciousness. His assailant took Jesse's keys out of his pocket, put the doctor on the back seat of his own car and drove away. 

**Thursday** I did it, it worked like a charm. I knew that doctor wouldn't be able to resist coming to the aid of his ailing friend. Too bad he never even got to his car by himself. Now I have him and he will suffer before my Rae even realises he's missing. I just have to make sure that I'll be in all the places I'm supposed to be today and she'll never guess who I am until I'm ready for her.

Jesse groaned and tried to move. He instantly wished he hadn't as he felt extremely sick, extremely quickly. There was no one waiting for **him** with a bowl and he could do nothing but throw up where he was, wherever that was. After a while the nausea passed off and he took another look around. He was in a room on a bed, which was on one side, there was a kitchen the other; he tried to move his arms and found that he couldn't, he could feel the handcuffs dig into his wrists behind his back. He looked down; his legs were tied together as well. He stopped for a minute and tried to work out what was happening to him. As he did so the door opened and a shaft of light picked him out.

"Oh, so you're awake are you? Good, I would hate you to miss your big moment!"

Jesse looked up at the young man in front of him; he could see the undisguised hatred in his eyes. "You, you're the one who did all of this!" Jesse shook his head, it was a big mistake and suddenly he was very sick again.

"Oh, for goodness sake, hold yourself together!" Jesse's captor walked over to him hauled him off the bed and kicked him viciously in the side. He collapsed in pain vomiting again as he did so, he heard the man laughing above him, and felt the foot come in again before the man turned and left the room. Jesse struggled to catch his breath. _Oh, God, Rae, Alex, I am so sorry._

Jesse had no idea how much time had passed before his tormentor returned. He marched straight over to Jesse, and grabbed him by the hair, forcing him up on his feet, which were tied together with rope. "So, you think you're good enough for her do you? Ha, don't make me laugh."

"She loves me. Do you really think she has anything but contempt for you after what you've done? Aagh" Jesse reeled back as he was punched hard in the face. He felt his nose begin to pour with blood. Once again his hair was grabbed and he felt a fist go into his stomach.

"How dare you speak to me like that? She is mine! She'll realise that we're destined to be together, when she sees how useless you've become." He let go of Jesse's hair and smiled as he watched him slump to the ground. Then he picked up a Polaroid camera. "Smile for the birdie, Dr. Travis." He took two pictures and then once again he left. 

**Thursday **He's such a wimp. How can he possibly believe that my love would choose him over me? He's more pathetic than I thought he was.

Rae was fast asleep. She heard a phone ring somewhere, turned over in bed and reached for Jesse. Her eyes sprang open when she couldn't find him. She got out of bed grabbed her gun and rushed to the front door. She pulled it open, but Martin wasn't there. Frantically she began to call out. "Jesse, Jesse, where are you? Martin! Oh, God, where is everyone?" 

"Detective, I'm sorry, I'm here." Officer Robertson came hurrying up the hallway, tucking in his shirt as he ran. "I'm sorry, call of nature. I'd been waiting hours."

"Why didn't you knock first and let me know you were going? And where's Jesse?"

Martin looked at the concerned face before him; he thought she was lovely. "He went to the hospital, hours ago. He said that you were still asleep. I thought he would have left you a note."

"Oh, sorry, yeah, actually I do remember something about him getting a phone call." Rae suddenly looked very embarrassed. 

"Detective, you have nothing to apologise for. I left my post, I'll report to Lieutenant Sloan later."

"Don't worry about it. I'll get dressed and go into the station. I can ring Jesse from there." Rae looked at her watch, then she shook her wrist, it must have stopped. "What time is it?"

"Five past eleven, Detective."

"Five past eleven! I've never slept that late." Rae went over to the phone. She rang the station. "Can I speak to Lieutenant Sloan please...? No, there is no message."

It was just after twelve when Rae arrived at the station. She looked for Steve and Mark, but the room was busy, just as it always was, and no one took any notice of her. She grabbed herself a cup of boiling water and made a drink. As she sat down with it, she saw Steve and Mark coming in through the door. She got up and made two coffees and walked over to Steve's desk. "Morning, Mark, Steve." She kissed Mark on the cheek as she handed over their drinks.

"Rae, why didn't you phone?" Steve looked angrily at his partner.

"I did, you had a busy line. Look I overslept. I'm sorry, I've had a hard week." 

"Rae, where's Jesse?" Mark looked at her, concern etched on his kind face.

"He got called into the hospital. I don't know why, but it was really early this morning. I'm just about to call him." As she was talking she was unlocking her desk. She opened the drawer, and without looking, put her hand in to grab her phone. Instead she let out a cry of agony. "Aaaaaaaaagh!" She pulled her hand out of the drawer. It was dripping with blood.

"Rae!" Steve rushed to her side his anger forgotten. "My God! Dad, have you got your bag in the car?" Mark nodded and hurried out of the room. Steve pulled a box of tissues over from the window and tried to mop up some of the blood. He looked down into her drawer; it was full of broken glass. "Rae, sit down," he faced her; all the colour had drained from her face. "Put your head down, it's all right, Dad'll sort it out in a minute." He looked at the detectives who had gathered around her desk. "I need a SCU team here now, and somebody get on to Jan Burlington and get her up here."

Steve began pressing hard on Rae's arm, his senses returning to him. He raised it so it was above her head. "Rae, talk to me, are you alright? Campbell get one of those fans over here." The detective moved off, glad to have something to do. "Did anybody see anyone here this morning fiddling around by Rae's desk?" Nobody said anything. 

Mark came back into the room and Jan rushed in behind him. "Oh, my God, Rae, what happened?"

"Somebody filled her desk with broken glass, that's what happened! Why has he started to hurt her? I thought he was infatuated with her."

"There is a very thin line between love and hate, Lieutenant. He will send her nice things like the flowers, but he will try to hurt her too."

Steve glared at her. "Why didn't you tell us that before? I didn't think she was actually in any danger herself. Just her property, Jesse and me."

"Sorry, Lieutenant, but if you remember, I did tell you just that."

Mark started to work on Rae's hand. Steve winced as he heard her cry out. "I'm sorry, sweetie, I have to get the glass out of your palm. What were you going to get out of the desk?"

"My phone... I wanted to call... Jesse." 

Steve looked into the drawer. "It's here, Rae, just covered by all this glass." He picked up the phone on the desk and dialled the familiar number for Community General. "Dr. Travis, please… no he was called in this morning… oh, I see, thank you." Steve put the phone down. His face was lined with worry. "Nobody from the hospital called Jesse last night. He isn't there!"

Rae said nothing. Steve had expected her to crumple as he spoke, but his words seemed to have the opposite effect. She had an angry, but determined look on her face. "If he hurts him, I swear I'll kill him."

"Rae, you're going to need stitches in some of these cuts."

"Then do it here, Mark, because I'm not going to the hospital. We have to work out who this madman is and save Jesse…" her voice dropped, "before it's too late."

As Mark picked up the anaesthetic Rae shook her head.

"No, Mark, do it without. That stuff affects my stomach."

Mark paused, "It won't do that to you sweetie."

"Mark, it's just my hand, it's not worth me throwing up, I just need it done, please."

"It's up to you, Rae, I'll try not to hurt you, but this is gonna be painful."

Rae looked at him. "I know that, Mark."

He took a deep breath, as he put the anaesthetic back in his bag and started to suture the deep cuts on Rae's right hand. As Rae gritted her teeth she saw the SCU team arrive at her desk. They dealt with the glass quickly and efficiently and then removed it. 

"Lieutenant." The officer in charge called Steve over. "This was under the glass." Steve took the proffered envelope by the corners and walked back over to Rae. He pulled a pair of latex gloves on and showed her what he had.

"This was in your drawer, do you want me to open it?" 

She just nodded. She had her left hand in her mouth and she was biting down on one of the fingers, Steve tried not to look at the pain in her eyes. _Sometimes she was too stubborn for her own good. _He carefully pulled the seal apart and slid out what was inside. As on previous occasions there was a letter and a photo. Rae gasped as she saw the picture, which landed face up on the desk. "Jesse!" 

Steve picked up the instant picture. He could see that Jesse's face was covered with blood; he was lying in what looked like vomit, and was obviously in a lot of pain. 

Steve said nothing, but he could feel the anger rising in him. Jesse never hurt anyone. It was his purpose in life to stop people from suffering. He brought his fist down on the table. There was no other way to vent his anger. 

Rae leant over and pushed the edge of the letter towards him. He picked it up and began to read.

**_"_**_Well, as you can see I have your little doctor friend. I hope you didn't hurt yourself **too** much getting to the envelope. He made the mistake of telling me that you loved him. Let's hope that he doesn't make any more mistakes. I would **just hate** to have to hurt him some more. If you want to save him you'll have to find out who and where I am. And when you do, I'll **still** kill him. You're mine, and nobody else will ever have you again.**"**_

As Steve finished reading out the note a cell phone started to ring. Everybody checked theirs before one of SCU officers realised that it was coming from the open drawer in Rae's desk. Steve took the phone and the officer began to dust the envelope, picture and letter.

"Sloan here… Rae, it's him, he says if I don't pass the phone to you he'll hurt Jesse some more."

Rae looked at Mark. He stopped working on her hand and Steve walked over to his desk and gave her the phone. Then he put his head close to hers so that he could hear as well.

_"Are you listening to me, my darling?"_

"Leave Jesse alone, if you hurt him I'll k…"

_"**You** are in no position to bargain with **me**. Now just listen, and I will tell you what is happening. You are mine, nobody else's. You display yourself in skimpy clothing, have lewd photos taken of yourself; I'll have to teach you a lesson. You were so kind when I first met you. I know about the photos for the magazine. I'm looking at them right now. Why, you even had to flaunt yourself in a practice session first, and you enjoyed the results. You're a tramp,_ _but I'll change all that. But you had better hurry and find me, your doctor friend is looking very ill."_

"Let me speak to him, pl…" The phone clicked and he was gone.

Rae had, if possible, gone even greyer. _He has the photos from the magazine._ "The negatives, he took the negatives. I forgot to put them in the evidence locker last night." _But he said photos_. Rae tried to think, but her brain wasn't working. She looked over at her partner.

Steve **was** thinking. He knew that he'd heard something that should tell him who it was; he knew he'd finally made a mistake. _Or maybe it was on purpose; he wants her to know who he is. _He went over the conversation in his mind. Suddenly he knew. 

"The stalker, I know who he is!"

Jesse heard the phone call. He recoiled when he heard the cold tone of voice. He tried to move, and gasped in pain, he was sure that he had some broken ribs.

The door opened and he saw the smiling face that he had grown to hate. "So, Doctor, let's have some fun while we wait for your **ex**-girlfriend to work out who I am, shall we? He walked over to Jesse and pulled him to his feet again. As he stood up Jesse turned to him and spat in his face. He felt himself being slammed up against the wall. _Stop fighting him you idiot; he'll just hurt you more._ The fist went into his side once again, and then he must have fallen to the floor because he was being kicked, but this time in the back. He felt an agonisingly sharp pain, the whole world swam around him as he cried out, and then he slipped thankfully into darkness.

"Lieutenant, I have a print from the envelope. I'll run it through the computer as quickly as I can." The SCU officer had excitement in his voice. Steve walked over to him.

"I suggest that you check for this name." Steve wrote on a piece of paper. "And come directly to me, understand?"

"Steve, who is it? For God's sake, he could be killing Jesse right now, while we're just sitting here." Rae's face was white and taught, and she had beads of perspiration on her forehead. He knew that she'd been in considerable pain while her hand had been stitched, but thankfully his dad had finished now.

Steve walked over to her.  "It's Phil Levington." He let the information sink in. It didn't take long.

"He said that I'd had a trial run on the photos for the magazine. Everybody here saw me, but nobody else, apart from you, knew that I quite liked the results. My God, he was in my apartment last night! He left me the ring." She jerked her hands in frustration.

"Rae, steady, I need to bandage this up, or you'll burst your stitches, and then you will end up at Community General!"

With great difficulty Rae kept still. She needed to be on the move, now. They had to find out where he lived, and get over there. Maybe that would give them a clue as to where Jesse was. She stood up. Her hand was throbbing and felt like it was on fire. She tried to put the sensations to the back of her mind. Steve went over to the computer. "If he takes pictures for the police, then he should be in here somewhere. Rae, what did he mean by you were kind when you first met him?" 

Rae thought for a minute. "Well the only thing I can think is that when you and I were in Ethan Norville's apartment he was there, taking pictures and I waited until he finished, before I walked in front of him. He thanked me and said most cops wouldn't have noticed. But that can't be it surely?"

"It could be, some people are stalked because they smiled at someone!" Jan looked at her. She was worried; Rae seemed so cold and clinical. "What happened next?"

"I saw him later that day, here. He took the picture that appeared in the paper." She shuddered. "I never considered him. I let him take those... those pictures." Rae's face was drawn. Jan put a hand on her shoulder.

The phone rang again. Steve picked it up. "Sloan here… Thank you … Ok, do you have an address for him? … Yep I've got it." He put the receiver down. "Right, 

"Ok, Rae, it's him. Levington has a licence to carry. Oh, and, Detective, you do as I say. I know he has Jesse, but I'm in charge got it?"

"Yes, Steve, I know, but Jess..." Rae couldn't continue so she just nodded.

Jesse slowly struggled back to consciousness. He felt sick and he was having trouble catching his breath. He eased himself into a slightly more comfortable position but every part of his torso hurt. 

The door opened once again. "So you're back with me. Good, good. Stand up, Doctor." Jesse just lay there. He wasn't being difficult, he just knew that he couldn't do it without help, but Phil didn't see it like that. He yanked him by the back of his shirt. "I said get up." Jesse could feel himself being throttled. Then he felt the cuffs that were restraining his wrists as they were removed. Jesse went to turn but froze as the muzzle of a gun was placed below his ear. "Don't, I only need a small excuse to blow you away!" 

Jesse felt himself being moved back against the radiator in the room, then the cuffs were put back on, but now his arms were attached to the pipe work. He tried to move into a sitting position, but the radiator was in the way. However he tried to rest, his back and his ribs screamed in protest. Half of him wished that he could disappear back into unconsciousness, but the other half knew he had to stay awake to stay alive.

Out in the parking lot, Rae ran over to Tom and got her Kevlar vest, while Steve got his own out of the trunk of his car. Steve and Rae got into the front of his car while Mark and Jan got into the back. Steve had phoned Amanda to tell her what had happened. She was going to meet them at the address Steve had given her. He had asked her in a very quiet voice to keep her eye on his dad, he didn't want him getting hurt, but he knew he couldn't keep him away, nor did he want to, he had a very bad feeling that they would need him.

The car sped past Jesse and Rae's apartment block, "He only lives about five minutes from here," Steve was thinking out loud. "That's what the officer said last night."

Rae responded, but her voice was shaky. "He trashed my place, and then he was invited back in to take pictures of his destruction!" She ran her good hand through her hair. She was trying to remain focused, but it was hard. Part of her wanted to give up and run away, but she knew that the part of her that wanted to get in there and save Jesse was the part that would win.

Steve drew up outside a photography store. It was a small place, called Phil's Pictures. Steve and Rae got out of the car. They could see Amanda's car parked a little further along the road. There were two black and whites, but they were staying out of sight for the moment. Amanda walked carefully over to Steve's car, and got in with Mark and Jan. 

Steve was walking in front of Rae; they both had their guns drawn. As they neared the entrance to the shop a shot rang out, Steve cried out and fell to the ground. "Steve!" As she crouched down Steve saw her put her gun under her jacket, in the back of her jeans.

"Rae … it's all right … it got my vest … I wish they could stop the pain as well as the bullet…" he tried to sit up and Rae began to help him. She looked back over at Mark and gave him a thumb's up. Suddenly a loudspeaker voice filled the air.

"Unless you would like him to have a bullet through the brain I suggest that you come in and leave him where he is."

"No way, Levington… she stays here."

"How unfortunate," another shot rang out, but Rae had pushed Steve to the ground as soon as Phil had begun to talk. "Then I will have to shoot the good doctor instead."

"No! I'll come, just don't hurt anybody else." Rae stood up and began to walk towards the store.

"Detective." But Steve knew it was no use. He also knew that if he had been in her position he would be doing exactly the same thing she was.

Rae walked up to the door, she kept her hands where they would be seen, and then gingerly opened it and stepped inside. As she looked around she felt her mind swim once more. Every wall had pictures of her on it. Some were quite small, but some were very large. In the ones that had Steve or Jesse in them they had either been blacked out or ripped off. There were pictures of her in Jesse's apartment, some were of her and Jesse in bed, probably from the same video as the ones in the paper, of her getting dressed and undressed, and of her and Steve asleep on the beach. She gasped as she saw the pictures that Lloyd had taken, all mutilated.  _I am in serious trouble here._

She heard footsteps behind her, and as she began to turn, felt the heat of a recently fired gun behind her ear. "Walk." She did as she was told. "Turn round." She turned to face her tormentor. He pressed her back against the wall. He lifted her left arm up. "You aren't wearing my ring, my darling, but I see you took my advice about your hair!" He let her hand fall and to her horror she saw him twist her hair through his fingers. He came closer and began to kiss her. She tried to turn her head away, but he was leaning in hard against her and she felt him begin to undo her kevlar vest. "Take the vest off." She looked down, but cried out as he rammed her head back against the wall. "Take It Off!" Rae felt the Velcro fastening, down the middle of the vest come apart as Levington pulled at it, and then his hand was inside the vest, moving purposefully across her breasts. She shuddered as she felt his hand move down her body and shrugged herself out of it. She tried to shut her mind to all the sensations obviously running through Levington's mind and body. She pushed her hands against him, the pain exploding into her right palm. Rae felt his tongue go into her mouth, and she bit down on it hard. 

Phil raised his fist, slammed it hard into the side of her face and she dropped like a stone. He pulled her back up by her hair and she felt the gun once more. There was a door in front of her. "Open it." Rae complied.

"Before you go in there, give me Sloan's cell phone number."

"I don't know it, I don't often have to call him, he's usually with me. Aaahhh." Phil grabbed her by her injured hand and she felt the stitches give, then he pulled her round to face him again.

"I know it, leave her alone and I'll give it to you." Rae breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Jesse's voice. At least he was still alive. Jesse haltingly recited the number that she really didn't know, and then she was pushed up against the wall while Phil made his call.

Amanda raced past the officers who had rushed out of the two patrol cars. "Steve, Steve, are you alright?"

"Yeah, Amanda, it got my vest and knocked the air out of me. I'm fine." He groaned as he got up. "But Rae's gone in there. I couldn't stop her."

 "She never had any plan other than to go in and get Jesse, you know that. Is she still armed?"

"She was when she left me."

Two officers came up to him. "What do you want us to do, Lieutenant?"

As Steve went to answer them his phone rang.

**_"_**_Really, Lieutenant, you didn't think I would let you get too close did you? What a shame you had the foresight to wear a vest. I was top of my class in marksmanship at the police academy. How unfortunate that they said I didn't have the right mentality to be an officer. Still, I always knew it would come in handy. I kept my weapon licensed and in working order, all this time, just for today. Right now it's pressed into the side of your Detective's neck. Have a nice day, Sloan.**"**_

"Wait… Dammit!" Steve knew that he was helpless. There was nothing that he could do at the moment. He walked slowly back towards the cars. He motioned for the other officers to keep watch and then went for a discussion that he knew would probably yield nothing.

Rae heard him click off the cell phone that he was using and then she was pushed into the room with Jesse. She took one look at him and tried to move towards him. "Oh, no, you don't, you'll never be able to touch him again. I only brought you in here to watch him die!"

"No, Phil, don't. You haven't killed anybody up till now. Don't start. Let him go... I'll stay with you if you let him go."

"So that he can do what? Tell your cop friends where you are and what's happening? Oh, no, my dear, that is not likely." He walked over to her and ran his finger down the rapidly rising bruise on her cheek. He carried on and soon his fingers were on her neck.

"NO!" Rae brought her knee up into his groin, while trying to keep her panic down. He crumpled; she pulled the gun from her waistband and fired on him, again and again.

"RAE!" Jesse screamed at her. She stopped and turned to him. "Leave him." He began to cough, more blood splattered on his shirt.

"My God, Jesse, I'm so sorry." She ran to him. "Where are the keys?"

"I don't know, Rae... I think I have a punctured lung … I have so much pressure... in my chest… help me!"

Rae rushed from the room. "Mark! Mark!" She opened the door, fear showing now on her face. The realisation of what had happened and what she had done slammed into her like the bullets she had just fired and she collapsed to the ground.

Steve had phoned the Chief when he got back in the car. The four of them were trying to work out a plan to get into the photo store when Amanda called out. "Steve, it's Rae, she's coming out of the door. Oh, my, God!" She opened the door before he could say or do anything and rushed towards her friend. Steve, Jan and then Mark weren't that far behind her.

"Rae, look at me. Can you hear me?" Rae looked up at her beautiful friend. She nodded. "Talk to me, Rae, tell me what happened. Where's Jesse?"

"He needs Mark, he's got a punctured lung. He can't breath, Mark, help him, please."

"What about Levington?" Steve looked down on her, his voice was stern but his eyes were soft and kind. "What happened to Levington, Rae?"

"I shot him. He put his hand on my throat, and I shot him." 

Steve turned away and taking his gun out he slowly went into the building. He caught his breath as he saw all the pictures on the walls. He scanned the room and then moved towards the only other visible door. As he pressed himself against the wall he heard Jesse coughing. He came through the door, and seeing Levington lying on the floor in his own blood, rushed to his friend's side.

"Jesse, can you hear me?" He was rewarded by a nod. "I'll get dad." He got out his walkie-talkie and called to the officers outside. "I need someone in here now with cutters to cut handcuffs."

He left the room and called out to his father.

"Dad, it's clear, you can come in." Mark must have been waiting right outside the door, because he was immediately inside.

"I've phoned for an ambulance, where is he, Steve? Rae said he has a punctured lung."

"This way, Dad." They went together into the other room. As Mark knelt by Jesse, Steve felt for a pulse on Levington. He was relieved to find a faint but steady one. "He's still alive, I'll call for a second ambulance."

An officer came into the building, and Steve directed him to where Jesse was collapsed against the radiator.

Then while he waited, Steve went back in to the other room. He started to look at the photos. Rae's whole life for the last eleven days was on these walls. She'd been snapped in almost every location that she'd been to. All the photos that Levington had taken of Rae at the station were on the walls. The ones where he had got her to pose provocatively had been either scribbled over or slashed. And all the pictures of either Jesse or himself had been mutilated. He looked at the pictures that had been taken inside Jesse's apartment. He knew that she would have seen them. Steve shuddered; he didn't want to think about what would have happened if Rae had been in here any longer than she had. Thinking of her brought him out of his deliberations. He went out of the door, and saw that she was still in the same position as when he had left her.

"Amanda?" she turned to him. "Is Rae all right? Did he hurt her?"

"No, I don't think so, not physically apart from her hand and her face, but mentally, I dread to think."

Steve looked down; he could see the bandage that his dad had put on her hand was now almost completely red with blood.

"She hasn't said a word since you left, she's exhausted, Steve. I don't think she has the energy to do anything, not even stand up. I'm just going to let her be until the ambulance arrives."

"Levington is still alive in there. He needs to get to Community General as well. Then we'll let the courts deal with him."

"Steve, how's Jesse?"

"Dad's with him," Steve realised that it was Rae who was speaking. "I'll go and ask for you."

Mark had checked Jesse over. His body was covered with bruises and he was right he did have a punctured lung. Mark sighed as he looked at him. In his minds eye he could see Amanda lying in the rubble of Community General as he relieved the pressure caused by her punctured lung. He took gloves and the scalpel out of his bag and prepared to make the incision.

"Dad?" Mark looked around. "Rae wants to know how Jesse is, so do I for that matter."

"Dead if I don't get this done. Tell her I'll be out in a minute." Mark hadn't meant to snap, but he was having trouble keeping his anger down. He looked over at the unconscious form of Phil Levington, then he pulled himself together and began the procedure.

Steve stood back and watched his father as he pulled on his gloves and applied Lidocaine to the area. Mark made a small incision; Steve reckoned about four centimetres long. He knew his father didn't have all the instruments he would have at the hospital, he saw him move the scalpel inwards, which would cut through the muscles. Mark inserted his fingers in the gap and Steve looked up at Jesse's face. His friend was unconscious and almost grey. Time seemed to have stood still since his father had started the procedure. Mark turned round.

"Steve, I need the chest tube from my bag. I have to keep my finger in here or I'll lose the desired tract. It's in a package with blue writing on it." Steve opened the pack and passed it over to him and watched as he inserted it. Once that was done he sutured the site and watched to see what was expelled through the tube, without a vacuum device only a red trickle came out.

"Is it supposed to be as bloody as that, Dad?"

Mark shook his head. "No, Son, it isn't, we need to get him to Community General as soon as possible." At that moment the sirens could be heard. Steve went out to see Rae and to direct the paramedics in to get Jesse and Levington.

"Dad has done a…" he looked at Amanda, "put a tube in?"

"A tube thorascostomy."

"Is he going to be alright, Steve? He'd been so badly beaten." Rae was shaking and clearly in shock.

"We're going to get the two of you to the hospital right now, and Levington, you didn't kill him Rae."

"Oh, well, never mind." Rae was distant and quiet. A paramedic came over to her and began to wrap a blanket around her. Steve walked back towards his father. _I shall wear a path if I keep going back and forwards._ As he got nearer he could hear his dad. 

"I've performed a tube thorascostomy, I'll come in the ambulance with you and continue with his care when we get to Community General."

One of the paramedics looked over to Phil Levington. The doctor in Mark felt guilty that he hadn't even looked at the man, but the part that was Jesse and Rae's friend took precedence. "**He** will go in the second ambulance."

Jesse was gently placed on a stretcher and wheeled out of the building. Rae was being helped into the ambulance as Mark walked up to Steve. "I'll go with them, I'll see you there."

Mark climbed up into the ambulance. Rae was sitting looking over at Jesse. He was lying with a mask over his face. She turned to face Mark, "Did you save him, Mark? Will he be alright?"

"I think so, sweetie, we need to get him a CT scan and x-rays once we get to Community General, then we can assess the damage that was done. How about you, did he hurt you?"

Rae shook her head. "Only my hand again, and this." She put her good hand up to her face. She just couldn't tell him what else he had done to her. "Oh, Mark, I'm so cold." He could see that she was shaking. 

"It's probably just reaction. Lie down here, you'll still be able to see him." 

She did as she was told. "Where are Steve and Amanda?"

"Steve's staying at Levington's store to supervise the search; he said he'll be over in a little while. Amanda is following in her own car." Rae nodded. The ambulance drew up at the doors to Community General and Rae went to get up. "No, Rae, stay there, let somebody check you out. I want you staying here tonight. You're suffering from shock, your hand needs to be re-stitched, and you need to be monitored." 

Rae just nodded she was glad to have all the decision-making taken from her. Her hand, and face were both hurting, and she was so tired. 

Soon she was lying in a trauma suite. Dr. Collins had checked her vital signs and now he was unwrapping the bandage from her hand. Rae had explained to him how the injury had occurred. "This looks incredibly painful, Detective."

"It is. It feels as if it's on fire."

"You should have come in immediately. Not just let Dr. Sloan stitch you up, you do know that don't you?"

Rae said nothing and Dr. Collins applied the Lidocaine and began to re-stitch the wounds. After a while he moved round and began to speak to her. "Can you feel this, Detective?" She looked over at him but he was standing between her and her hand. Suddenly red-hot bolts of pain spread through her.

"Yes." She had her teeth clenched. "Stop, please stop." She could feel the tears come to her eyes. She began to feel sick, she wasn't sure if it was from the pain or the anaesthetic. 

"I'm sorry." Dr. Collins looked at the pain in her face. "I was just checking for nerve damage, which you don't appear to have any of. This was all I did." He took her other hand and ran his fingers over the palm; it was firm but not at all painful. "I'll check it again in the morning and start you on a course of antibiotics if necessary." He began to re bandage it. When he had finished he looked over at her.

"I'm going to admit you. I'll give you a sedative..."

"No, can't I sleep on my own?" Rae looked at him. She hated taking them.

"Ok, but I want you to rest. I'll have the nurses' check on you, but leave you to sleep unless you seem restless. But if you are I may change my mind. I'm not sure that you'll be able to go home tomorrow. We'll see how you go. Nurse, will you take Detective Yeager up to a private room please?" 

"No, Doctor, please, let me wait. I want to see Jesse. Please."

"Stay here a minute, I'll check with Dr. Sloan." He left the room and headed into the next trauma suite. It seemed to Rae as if he were in there for hours, but as she had been watching the clock she knew it was only ten minutes before he was back.

"They've given him a CT scan, put him on antibiotics, replaced the tube in his chest cavity, and attached the vacuum. He's in x-ray at the moment and then he's being admitted. You can see him in the morning."

Rae nodded and then she was wheeled out of the room. She could see Dr. Collins following them. When she had been settled in her room he came in to speak to her. 

"Rae, I thought you might like to know, before you go to sleep, that Dr. Sloan has finished today's tests and has said that Jesse is out of danger now."

"Thank you." her voice came out as a whisper. Dr. Collins left the room, and she checked her watch, it was almost half past five. _I've only been awake for six and a half hours. _Rae turned over onto her side, and finally let the tears come. At last she fell into an exhausted sleep, her pillow was wet, her face red and swollen from all the crying, but she knew that her ordeal was over, at least for today.


	12. Footsteps 2nd Thursday Night/Friday

2nd Thursday Night/Friday  
  
After Rae and Jesse had been admitted Amanda headed towards Rae's room. Something had happened to her in that place, she had a bruise on her face and her hand had been split back open. Amanda thought that she would sit with her for a little while, just in case she needed her. As she got towards the door she could hear Rae calling out from inside. She ran the remainder of the way and opened the door.  
  
"No, no, don't touch me!"  
  
Rae could see Phil Levington coming towards her. Jesse stood with her, but he could do nothing. She saw Phil's hands touching her neck and she tried to move, but she couldn't. "No, no, don't touch me!" She went to back away but there was a wall, and photos of her everywhere. She tried to turn, but all she could see were pictures of Jesse and Steve. They didn't look like them, but in her dream world it was all obvious. "Rae. Rae! Wake up, sweetie, wake up." She heard a voice that didn't belong with her, a safe voice and she tried to move towards it, but the dream wouldn't let go. She saw her gun and then Jesse fall, and she screamed "NO! Jesse, No!"  
  
"Rae. Rae! Wake up, sweetie, wake up." Amanda tried to get through to her. Suddenly Rae began to scream. Amanda pressed the buzzer by the bed and the nurse was there, almost immediately. "Could you get Dr. Collins up here now, please?"  
  
"NO! Jesse, No!" Rae sat up in her bed. Her eyes were glazed, and Amanda knew that she wasn't awake. She took her gently by the shoulders.  
  
"Rae, it's over. Jesse's safe. Rae, he's safe!" Slowly she felt Rae's body relax. She watched as she slumped back down onto the pillow.  
  
"Amanda? Oh, God, Amanda, what happened? I didn't shoot Jesse, did I?"  
  
"Rae? No, No! He's in the ICU, but he's going to be fine." Amanda heard a noise and looked up expecting to see Dr. Collins, but instead it was Steve, standing in the doorway. He looked worriedly at his friends.  
  
"Amanda? I could hear Rae down the corridor, is she alright?"  
  
"She had a nightmare, Steve. It's hardly surprising, considering."  
  
"No, I guess not. I'll go back to Jesse then. When you have a moment could you come down?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm just waiting for Dr. Collins. I'll be down in a minute.  
  
"Steve, is he awake?"  
  
"No, Rae, and you shouldn't be either. Let them give you a sedative. You know they help with the dreams." He smiled at her, and then he left the room. He couldn't tell her that Jesse was already fighting against an infection, a mild one, thankfully, which they seemed to have caught in time. But he knew that an infection was bad news, however mild it was. That wasn't surprising either; he'd hardly been in sanitary conditions over the last few hours.  
  
Steve saw Dr. Collins rushing along the hallway. Good, she needs you.  
  
"Rae, Dr. Bentley, what happened?"  
  
"She had a nightmare, can you give her a sedative? I think even she realises she needs one, don't you?" Rae nodded. "I need to go and see Steve, I'll be back later."  
  
"I'm sorry, Dr. Collins, I just hate taking them so much, but I don't want to dream."  
  
He saw her shudder, and after he'd administered the correct dosage, sat down on the chair Amanda had recently vacated. "Would you like me to stay with you until you fall asleep again?"  
  
"Yes, please, if you're not too busy." Her eyes were already closing. She knew she would fall asleep easily without the drugs, but not keep the dreams at bay.  
  
Five minutes later the doctor rose from the chair and left the room. He went across to the nurse's station. "I want Detective Yeager checked every thirty minutes. Don't wake her, but if she seems restless at all, I want to be paged."  
  
"Yes, Doctor." With that he returned to the ER.  
  
Amanda had hurried to the ICU as soon as she knew Rae would be all right. She'd seen the worry in Steve's eyes, and she knew it wasn't just for Rae.  
  
Jesse was lying there, surrounded by machines, and Amanda could see that the vacuum was helping to empty his chest cavity. "Steve, Mark, what's happened?"  
  
"His temperature shot up, he has an infection. Dammit, I tried so hard to keep him clean." Mark's hand slammed down against his palm.  
  
"Mark, he would have died if you hadn't been there, you know that. You can't blame yourself. I didn't see where he was, but I would bet it wasn't very hygienic."  
  
"He was chained to a radiator, Amanda, and you saw him as he left, he was covered in blood and his own vomit. I would be more surprised if he didn't get an infection." Steve looked over at her.  
  
"Yes, son, but you're a cop, not the doctor who treated him." Mark got up and walked around the room. Steve and Amanda looked at each other. They knew that he had to get this out of his system.  
  
"Mark, the antibiotics will help him. But you all stressed out and up tight won't. Let's go and get a coffee and a bit of air. Then we'll come back. Steve, you'll stay won't you?"  
  
"Of course. Go on, Dad, you know Amanda's right." Mark nodded his head and smiled at his friend and his son. Then he looked over at Jesse lying pale and unconscious on the bed. Mark knew they were trying to help, he'd got Jesse this far; he knew it wasn't over yet, but Jesse was already fighting back.  
  
"I'll be ten minutes, ok?"  
  
Steve nodded. If he was honest, he didn't want to be the only one with Jesse, but he knew that his dad needed the break.  
  
Amanda and Mark walked up the hallway. As they passed Rae's room they both looked in through the door. They could see that she was sleeping peacefully now, her injured hand resting on the bed covers. They looked at each other. Tomorrow would be another hard day for her.  
  
It was just after nine on Friday morning when Rae awoke properly. First of all she couldn't remember where she was, or what had happened, but slowly it came back to her. Jesse! She reached over and pressed the buzzer and a nurse appeared at the door.  
  
"I need to go and see Jesse... sorry Dr. Travis." The nurse looked at her.  
  
"I'll get Dr. Collins."  
  
Rae stared at her as she left the room. She hadn't liked the way the nurse had spoken. Something had happened, something bad. She sat up, she felt a little light-headed and slightly sick, but she had to get to Jesse. By the time Dr. Collins arrived, she was on her feet and steadying herself before leaving the room.  
  
"And just what do you think you're doing, Detective?"  
  
Rae sat down heavily on the bed. "I know that something has happened to Jesse. I need to go to him, right now."  
  
Dr. Collins looked at her. "He crashed during the night, but Dr. Sloan got him ba..."  
  
Rae went grey. "Why didn't somebody come and get me. If he'd died, would you have kept that from me as well?" Rae was shouting now, but she didn't stand up, she wasn't sure that her legs would hold her. Dr. Collins called the nurse across, and spoke to her by the door.  
  
"We'll go to see him, together, but only for a few minutes. He doesn't need visitors, and you don't need any more stress." The nurse pushed a wheelchair into the room and Rae sank gratefully into it.  
  
"Thank you, Doctor, I don't actually know where Jesse is." It took no time at all to get to Jesse's room, but before they arrived Rae could see Mark in with him and Amanda and Steve sitting outside. They were all there with him. He hasn't been alone.  
  
Steve saw her first and came over to her. "Rae, are you alright." To her surprise, he put his hand up and touched the bruise that was now angrily spread across one side of her face. She could only nod.  
  
"Jesse? Steve, why didn't you come and get me? I love him, Steve, what if I'd lost him and not even known...?" She couldn't continue. She raised her injured hand to her mouth.  
  
"Come on, come and see him." He spoke softly. Steve took the chair from Dr. Collins and wheeled her in.  
  
Rae was absolutely delighted when she saw Jesse give her a very small smile. "Jesse, oh, Jess." Steve moved her as close as he could get her to the bed. The tears filled her eyes as she reached out and took Jesse's hand in her own. She looked over at Mark and swallowed hard. "Dr. Collins said that he crashed in the night."  
  
"Dr. Collins, would also have said that he was, once again, out of danger, if Dr. Collins had been allowed to finish his sentence!" He looked over at his patient, who had the grace to look embarrassed.  
  
"I'm sorry, doctor." She turned back to Jesse. "Jesse, I'm so sorry about all of this. First Steve, then Alex, and now you." At the mention of Alex she saw Jesse start to get agitated. "What, what's happened to Alex?" she looked over at Mark.  
  
"Nothing as far as I know. They're just waiting for the swelling to go down a little on his arm before they release him. He's fine, Jesse, honestly."  
  
Jesse tried to speak, Mark lifted the mask that was covering his face. "I was phoned... yesterday... they said he was in danger... had an infection."  
  
"Jesse." It was Steve that spoke. "We found Levington's diary. It was him who phoned you, Alex was never in any danger." He saw Rae squeeze Jesse's hand, and his best friend shut his eyes, to try to stop the tears that were forming there.  
  
"I thought ... I thought I'd let him down."  
  
"I think you should come back with me now, Rae." Rae turned to Dr Collins as if to disagree, but then backed down. She stood up, and very gingerly leant over and kissed Jesse on the lips, before Mark replaced the mask.  
  
"I'll come back, Jesse, whenever you're ready. I get the feeling I'm not going too far today." She smiled at him, and sat back down in the chair.  
  
"Rae," she turned as she heard Jesse's voice, muffled by the mask. He looked up at Mark, and he lifted it once again. "I love you, Rae, none of this will change that." Mark put the mask back on, and Rae, with tears shining in her eyes, turned and let herself be pushed away.  
  
Once he'd said what he had to, Jesse felt completely drained. He couldn't remember ever hurting like he did right now. It even hurt to blink. He slowly shut his eyes and tried to put the picture of Rae being touched by that creep out of his mind.  
  
He'd known, when he saw his hands moving down towards her neck, that Levington was in trouble. But he hadn't known if she was still armed. He'd seen her body tense up, as he half stood, half lay there. Rae's right hand was covered with blood, the other one was flexing into a fist and out again. Then all the pent up anger was released as fingers touched the one place guaranteed, had Phil realised it, to sign his death warrant. Only because he had shouted out was the man still alive. Now she would have to face him in court, maybe he should have kept quiet. No, I couldn't let her kill, not even him.  
  
He felt his eyes getting heavy. His mind switched to Alex. He should've known that it was a trap. Should've phoned the hospital back... The thoughts disappeared; he slipped off to sleep.  
  
Steve looked across to him. He'd seen his friend's face changing. He guessed that Jesse was thinking about difficult things. Then Jesse's face started to relax and Steve knew that the sedative was working again. He felt his own body begin to relax too. Steve stood up; he needed to speak to Rae, privately. He'd been on the phone to the station; he had information for her.  
  
Rae was back in bed when he got there. She wasn't asleep, she was looking at nothing in particular, and he knew that her mind was working overtime too.  
  
He tapped on the door, and when she smiled at him, he entered. "Rae, I need to speak to you."  
  
"Jesse. Is he alright?" She sat straight up in the bed.  
  
"Hey, easy! Yes he's fine, in fact only two minutes ago he was fast asleep." Steve sat down on the chair and took her small left hand in between his two large ones. They felt warm and safe around hers. She smiled at him.  
  
"I called the station this morning. Levington is out of danger, you shot him twice in the shoulder, I think it was pure panic that made him pass out!" Rae smiled, but Steve's next words wiped the smile away again. "He's going to plead not guilty, and there's no chance of an insanity plea. You'll have to face him in court. You know he had the photos Lloyd took? Rae, they'll have to be submitted as evidence."  
  
"Oh, God, I should have killed him when I had the chance."  
  
"Detective, I think I will pretend you didn't say that." Rae looked round to see Chief Masters looking in through the door. That man always catches me out when I'm in a hospital bed! That sounds terrible. Both Steve and the Chief wondered why she was smiling.  
  
"Sorry, Sir. No, I don't mean it. Not even that scumbag deserves to die. He didn't kill anybody, although it wasn't for the want of trying."  
  
"Detective, I contacted your children last night. I felt that they should know why it was impossible to get hold of you. And I knew that your mind was on other things."  
  
Steve was amazed. This man obviously had a soft spot for his partner. Hey, stranger things have happened. I can't think of any right now, but I'm sure they have.  
  
"Thank you. I'll ring them as soon as I can."  
  
"Ah, you may not want to thank me in a minute. I got a call from their father this morning. It seems that your eldest son is, as we speak, flying over to see you. He said that, John, is that his name?" Upon receiving a nod the Chief continued, "That John had said, this time, he was coming whether anybody wanted him to or not."  
  
Rae smiled. "That sounds like John, as stubborn as his mother! Thank you, Chief, now I'm safe again, it will be lovely to see him." She paused, "It's a shame they couldn't all come, but as my apartment needs a total overhaul I guess it's for the best." Suddenly Rae realised that she was having a normal conversation with this man, and not only that, she was relaxed and under no pressure. She sighed, and lay back on the pillow.  
  
Both men misread this, and the Chief turned to go. "You're obviously tired, Detective, I'll speak to you again soon. I've arranged for your son to be picked up at the airport, and brought straight here, I hope that's satisfactory."  
  
It was Rae's turn to be amazed. She just nodded, and the Chief left the room.  
  
"Rae, I'll go, too, you go back off to sleep."  
  
She put her hand on his arm and stopped him from getting up. "I'm not that tired, Steve, I lay back, because I realised that, for a while at least, I don't have anything to worry about. Well, except that John will eat me out of house and home. I need to stock up on noodles."  
  
"I'm gonna to go anyway. Just rest, Rae, we'll need to talk all this through, but now is not the time." He leant over and kissed her on the cheek. She smiled up at him, and then as he had told her to, she shut her eyes, and, without realising it, was asleep in less than two minutes.  
  
In another part of the hospital Phil Levington was lying in his room with a two-man guard on the door. He couldn't believe that he was here, without her. He tried to think what mistake he had made. Well never mind. The judge would realise that he had done nothing wrong and he would just start to woo her once again. He shut his eyes picturing her as he rested, a smile flicking across his face, as his thoughts raced.  
  
It was a lot later when Rae woke up again, and realised with a sinking stomach that she was hungry. And if it's macaroni cheese, I'm leaving! She pressed the buzzer and the nurse came in. "Did I miss lunch? Only I'm feeling a little hungry."  
  
"I'll go and see if I can get something for you."  
  
"What was it today?"  
  
"Cauliflower Cheese!"  
  
"Oh great. Still, I guess I don't have much choice do I? Actually, I do. Can you get me a take out from BBQ Bob's?" The nurse nodded at her, wrote down what she wanted and left the room. Rae let her mind wander. She wondered where Jan was. She had wanted to be friends, and Rae could do with a few of them. She looked down at her injured hand. The throbbing was like a drum beating; it felt very tight and painful. She ran her fingers down her cheek and suddenly the image of that hated face was before her eyes. She gasped, and moved back involuntarily against the bed head. She knew it was going to take her some time to be able to confront her fears. If she was going to have to see him in court she may not have the time that she needed. Rae looked out towards the nurse's station. She needed to get a message to Dr. Dobson.  
  
It was late afternoon before Jesse woke again. He still ached but his breathing felt easier. He looked around the room. Steve was gone, so, too, was Amanda, but Mark was still there, asleep in the chair. He tried to move and ease himself into a slightly more comfortable position, and saw his friend's eyes open.  
  
"Jesse? Are you all right?" Mark got up and moved across to him. The room was a little dim. "Will it be all right if I turn the light on?" He received a small nod, went and slowly turned the switch, and let the light gradually increase.  
  
"Can I get you anything? Would you like some of the ice slivers?" Jesse nodded again, and Mark placed some of them into his mouth.  
  
"Rae. Mark, I need to see Rae." Mark took the mask away from Jesse's face and watched him intently. "Please, Mark, I'll be sensible, but I have to see her. That, that creep... he did things to her, Mark, and I need to talk to her." He could see that Jesse was getting very tense, and hear that his breathing was coming in short gasps. He put the mask back on and looked at him with concern in his eyes.  
  
"I'll go and get her for you, Jesse, but you have to stay calm, you know that. The process of re-expansion takes time. I don't want you to make your situation worse. If you start to get breathless I shall take her back to her room. ok?"  
  
Jesse nodded and watched his friend as he left the room. He tried to be calm, but he needed to see her. He knew that she would be more traumatised than he was and he wanted to let her know that he would be here for her. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought he'd already spoken to her today, but he couldn't be sure.  
  
Rae was driving herself nuts in her room. She had spoken to Dr. Collins, and he refused to let her go home today. If she behaved, he'd said that he would discharge her tomorrow, but only with strict limitations on what she could and couldn't do with her hand. She heard a tap on the door and looked round. A grin appeared on her face as she saw Mark standing there.  
  
"Mark, come in, I am desperate for somebody, anybody, to talk to. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded." She smiled at him, and looked a little embarrassed.  
  
"I'll sit and talk to you if you would like, or, I could take you down to see Jesse."  
  
"Oh, Mark, yes please." She sat up and swung her legs off the bed. Mark went to help her but she shook her head. "I'm fine, Mark, he didn't hurt me physically, apart from my hand and my face." She tried to hold in a shiver, but she knew that Mark had seen it.  
  
"I know you can't tell me, honey, but promise me you will talk to somebody, and soon."  
  
Rae looked at the concern that was written across her friend's face. "I promise, Mark." Mark got a wheelchair and pushed it over to her. "Can I get out of this when we get to Jesse's room? Then I can sit closer to him." She smiled again when she saw Mark nod in her direction, and let herself be pushed back to Jesse's room.  
  
Jesse's face lit up when he saw her with Mark, and he was very relieved when she got out of the wheelchair and sat on the chair next to the bed. He picked up her injured hand with great care and brushed it with his fingers.  
  
"Oh, Jess, look what he did to you, all because of me." She saw Jesse shake his head slowly and then look over to Mark.  
  
"You can take it off while you speak, but it must go back on again quickly." Mark looked over at them both.  
  
"He probably wouldn't have done so much if I hadn't kept answering him back." He gave her a quick smile, and put the mask back on. He looked over at Mark again, and was relieved when he saw his friend move outside the door.  
  
"Rae, you must go and see Brian. Today, if you can. I saw what he did to you..." He stopped; he was running out of breath.  
  
"Jess, please, don't. Let me talk. I will go, I spoke to Helen, and he's going to come and see me when he finishes his appointments today. I have to talk to him, because I see Levington's face when I shut my eyes, and I..." She stopped talking; she didn't want to add to his distress. She would tell him about her dreams again, when he was stronger. She placed her hand on his cheek. She hated these masks; she lifted it up gently and kissed him on the lips. After she had replaced it she picked up his hand and moved it towards her neck. She let it rest there, just for a few seconds, then she removed it. "I needed it to be you who was the last person to touch me there." She smiled at him, but he could see the anguish on her face.  
  
After that they had no need of talk. Rae sat with her hand over his; they just enjoyed the fact that they were still together. Mark let them be for just about ten minutes, and then he came back into the room. "Rae, you need to go back to your room now. I think I saw Alex go in to wait for you. You can come back to see Jesse in the morning." Rae nodded. She kissed Jesse on the forehead and got up out of the chair.  
  
Mark was right; Alex was waiting for her when she got back. He stood up as she was wheeled into the room. His arm was in plaster, and his face was still swollen, but he did look a little more human than the last time she had seen him.  
  
"Rae, are you all right? I heard what happened."  
  
Mark parked the wheelchair and she got out of it and sat back on the bed. "Thank you, Mark. I hope that's the last time I have to use that thing. I'll see you later."  
  
As Mark left them together Alex smiled at her. "Look at us, not exactly firing on all six cylinders are we?"  
  
"Six? It's only four in England." She returned his smile. "How are you, Alex, is your arm going to be ok?"  
  
"Yeah, thank goodness, no muscle damage. I'll bet without the plaster it's the size of Steve's right now. Unfortunately, by the time it's removed mine will be normal size again. And my face too, I'm pleased to say. I think I'll scare the patients looking like this."  
  
"Yeah me too, but maybe in my line of work it doesn't hurt to scare a few people."  
  
As they sat there enjoying each other's company without actually saying very much there was a knock at the door. Rae looked round and her face lit up. "John? Oh, John, honey," she got up and ran to him.  
  
Alex looked over; standing just inside the door was a tall, dark haired young man. He was obviously his mother's son; he had dark brown eyes, and her smile. He stood up. "I guess I'll leave you two together. I'm being discharged in the morning, Rae, but I'll be up to see you and Jesse before I go."  
  
Rae turned to him and placed a hand on his uninjured arm. "You saved him for me the first time, Alex, I'll never forget that. Thank you." She kissed him on the cheek and the young doctor blushed and hurried from the room.  
  
"Mum, who was that?" John looked at her. He couldn't believe how much he'd missed her, and how worried he'd been about her.  
  
"He's my friend, John, his name's Alex and he saved Jesse's life. I've made some good friends while I've been here."  
  
"Yeah, and run into some real weirdoes as well. What happened to you this time? It wasn't Mark who phoned Dad. He said he was the Chief of Police, or was he joking? And I was picked up from the airport in a police car. That was embarrassing!"  
  
"No, he wasn't joking, he really is the Chief of Police. I didn't know anything about any of it until this morning. You needn't have come you know, I'm all right now."  
  
"Oh, yeah right. Look at your hand, and your face. Mum, what happened?"  
  
Rae took a breath. "I had a stalker, John, and at the end he got violent with me. He also tried to kill Steve, Alex and Jesse, although thankfully he didn't succeed." She took another breath. "Now I have to face him in court, because he won't plead guilty."  
  
"And I would imagine that I can't talk you into coming home?"  
  
"Oh, no, no way, I really like it here. I've just been unlucky that's all." There was another knock on the door, Rae turned. She could see Steve through the glass.  
  
"Come in." Steve entered. "Steve, this is my eldest son, John. John, this is my partner, Lieutenant Steve Sloan."  
  
"Well, you're not doing a very good job of keeping her safe are you?"  
  
"John! I'm sorry, Steve."  
  
"Don't be. When you're eighteen and worried about your mom, you can get away with speaking your mind. Besides he only said what I'm feeling. John, the cop who brought you from the airport is waiting outside, he wants to get you booked into your hotel."  
  
"Ok, I'll come back later, Mum."  
  
John glared at Steve; hugged his mother, kissed her on the cheek and left the room without another word.  
  
"Steve, I'm so sorry."  
  
"No, Rae, he's right. Every time I see your face or your hand I know that I should have prevented it. I'm sorry. I failed you, I know that."  
  
"Steve, don't. Do you blame me for the chloroform incident?"  
  
"No, of course not."  
  
"This is the same. I don't blame you; the guy is a fruit loop. He still scares the hell out of me, but I won't let him spoil the relationship we've built up. So, get over it, Lieutenant." She smiled at him. She could see Brian Dobson waiting patiently outside the door with Dr. Collins and wondered if he could hear what was happening inside the room. Steve put his arms around her and gave her a hug, and then he too saw Dr. Dobson.  
  
"I'd better go, Rae, I'll see you later. I think I may go over and have a word with your son, buy him a soda and see if we can't sort things out."  
  
Steve opened the door and swapped places with the two doctors. Rae went back and got on the bed. She really didn't want to talk about what had happened, but she knew that if she didn't do it now, she might chicken out altogether.  
  
"Rae, Dr. Dobson wants to speak with you. I have said I have no objections if you don't."  
  
"No, I think I'll be fine, thank you, Doctor."  
  
Dr. Collins smiled at her. "If you need me, buzz." He shut the door as he left the room.  
  
"This is becoming quite a habit, Detective." He had a smile on his face, but Rae was instantly mortified.  
  
"I'm sorry, Doctor, would you rather I saw somebody else?"  
  
"Good heavens no. It was supposed to be a joke. I apologise. Let's start again."  
  
Rae took a breath. "I'm sorry, yes, let's start again. Should I laugh, or would you like to come in again?"  
  
They smiled at each other.  
  
"What happened, Detective?"  
  
Rae looked away. She shut her eyes, and Phil Levington was there. She shuddered. "I met my stalker." It was a simple statement, but Dr. Dobson knew that when it had happened it had cost her a lot.  
  
"I don't want to say anything to you. I know it's fresh in your mind, and I think you should just tell me what happened.  
  
Rae looked at him. She'd thought that he would help her through this, and that had been bad enough. But this, she had a feeling would be worse.  
  
"I suppose I knew I was in serious trouble when this happened." She held up her injured hand. "Jesse had been called into the hospital. When I got to the station I put my hand in my drawer to get my phone to check he was alright and it was full of broken glass." Rae paused. Slowly she related what had happened until they got to where Jesse was being held. She felt short of breath, and had to stop talking.  
  
"Stand up, Detective, and take some deep breaths. When you've calmed yourself a little we'll continue."  
  
Rae did as she was told. Surprisingly she felt calmer quite quickly. As she sat down she began to talk again.  
  
"When we went to the photo store I knew that I would go in to confront him. I couldn't let him hurt Jesse any more than he already had, or Steve. But as we walked up to the front entrance... he shot Steve. We were both wearing vests, but it flattened him. Levington said that if I didn't go in. he would hurt Jesse again, but I'd planned to go in anyway. It had to be me. I couldn't risk anybody else, not any more." She stopped. It was about to get hard.  
  
"I went into the room, and ... and all I could see were pictures of me. He'd been in my home, he'd followed me when I was at work." She shivered. As she spoke she began to realise just how big the man's obsession was, and how quickly it had come to a head.  
  
"I stood there and looked at the pictures. All the ones that had Jesse or Steve in ... had been mutilated. I couldn't hear any noise. I didn't know if Jesse was..." She couldn't say the word. "Then I..."  
  
"You didn't know if Jesse was what?"  
  
"I didn't know if he was ... still alive." She couldn't say dead, she had been so sure that he was, but she couldn't say it. "I felt a gun behind my ear. It was still warm; I knew it was the one fired at Steve. He made me walk further into the room; I knew I didn't have any choice, so I did as I was told. Then he told me to turn around." She stopped. She was shaking now, and she could feel the tears behind her eyes. "I can't."  
  
"Yes you can. What did he do after you had turned round?"  
  
"He... he had forced me back against the wall... he began to kiss me...he wanted me to take off my vest...but before I could. he ... touched me... and he kept on touching me." The tears had started to fall now. She didn't try to stop them, because she knew that she couldn't. "I tried to push him away from me, but my hand..." she held it up, as if it would tell the doctor everything he wanted to know, then she let it fall. "I tried to move my head to stop him... I could feel him against me..." This time she had to stop. She rushed from the room, Dr. Dobson, could hear her, as she was sick in the bathroom. He didn't go to her; he knew that she would use the time to get more than her stomach under control.  
  
It was ten minutes before Rae came back. She looked extremely pale, and her eyes pleaded with him to let her stop. "Sit back down, we need to carry on a little further."  
  
Rae got a drink of water from by the bed. "I'm so glad I had barbeque instead of the cauliflower cheese for lunch." She shuddered.  
  
"That is way too much information, Detective." But he smiled at her, and she returned it.  
  
"I'm sorry, Doctor, do you want me to carry on from before?"  
  
"Of course, you have to say it, out loud, Detective, otherwise it will haunt you."  
  
"Ok... He had his body up against mine ... I could feel it ...and his hands... I couldn't keep moving my head and he ... he got his tongue in my mouth... Oh, God... I ... I bit down on it, hard... He punched me..." Her hand moved involuntarily to her face.  
  
"I thought he was responsible for that. How did he make you feel when he hit you?"  
  
"I was scared, but I was scared anyway, disgusted, sickened. Oh, so many feelings, and all in a split second, because after he hit me he grabbed me by the hair and pulled me up again and ... he put the gun back to my ear."  
  
"He wanted Steve's cell phone number, but I didn't know it ... he didn't ... didn't believe me and grabbed my hand." She paused, as she relived the pain in her mind again. "I felt the stitches burst and ... and then I heard Jesse." The relief in her voice was evident. Until then she had thought that her lover was dead, even if she couldn't say the words.  
  
"After he spoke to Steve... he took me into the other room... Jesse was handcuffed to the radiator. He ... he had been beaten. and was covered in blood. But he was alive. I tried to get to him but Levington pulled me back. He said that I had to ... to watch him ... die I tried to talk him out of it. He hadn't killed anybody up till then, even though I know he wanted to. I tried to get him to let Jesse go, but he wouldn't." She stopped. The worst bit was left. She didn't want to continue.  
  
Rae stood up and walked over to the window. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked round. "Come and sit down, Detective. I know this is hard for you, and I know that you have been talking for a long time, but you are going to have to go over this again and again. Believe me, once it is out in the open, and you have told somebody about it, it will be a little easier for you. It will also be much more healthy."  
  
"He wouldn't let Jesse go, he walked towards me... he started to touch me again, on my face..." She stopped. The tears had started again. She had to tell somebody about her greatest fear. Only Jesse knew, and with him it wasn't a problem.  
  
"He... he put his hand..." Her breath was coming fast and shallow now. Suddenly she couldn't, really couldn't do it. She got up and fled the room. She had nowhere to go, she knew that, but she just couldn't stay.  
  
Dr. Dobson got calmly to his feet and followed her out of the room. He walked towards the ICU, and as he got closer he could see her. She hadn't gone into Jesse's room. He stood next to her where she was leaning up against her good hand in a corner. "We're going to go to my office. I think that we need to finish this." Rae said nothing. She had nothing left to fight with. "Or, we could go back to your room, if you promise me not to try to escape again."  
  
Rae just nodded. As they turned Rae could see Steve, standing at the door to Jesse's room. He looked over at her and she could see the concern in his eyes.  
  
"It's all right, Lieutenant, we just had a short interval, we're fine again now."  
  
"Rae?" Steve didn't sound convinced.  
  
"I'm sorry, please." She looked at Dr. Dobson, and then turned to her partner. "Steve."  
  
"You can have five minutes, Detective, but I will be waiting in your room." He left the two colleagues together and walked back down the hallway.  
  
Steve put his hand on Rae's shoulder and felt her dissolve. "Oh, God, Steve, help me." He breathed a sigh of relief; at last she had asked him for help. He guided her to one of the chairs outside the ICU and then he knelt in front of her. She began to sob. She had cried with him before, when she had been scared on the beach, but that was nothing to this. Her whole body was wracked with the emotion that was tearing her apart. He was just starting to get really concerned about her when he felt her begin to get a hold of herself. Slowly she looked up at him. "He kissed and touched me, Steve... Levington. I thought... he was going to... rape me... right there in front of Jesse, and then ... then he touched ... he touched my neck." She stopped, but Steve understood instantly.  
  
"He touched you where Leticia Howard touched you. Oh, Rae."  
  
The tears had begun again, but they were tears of relief now. He understood, she had told him, and he understood. She clung to him; she felt such a sense of release.  
  
"Do you want me to come with you, to speak to Dr. Dobson? Jesse is fast asleep at the moment."  
  
"Yes, yes please. You don't have to say anything, I know that I have to tell somebody who won't understand, but I just couldn't, I needed to tell you or Jesse first."  
  
"Rae, does Jesse know about your neck?"  
  
She nodded. "He's the only person I can let touch it."  
  
"He was there, Rae, he'll understand."  
  
"I hadn't thought of that. God, I feel like I'm coming apart, if he hadn't been there, I wouldn't have been either." She paused. "Thank you, Steve." He almost had to carry her back to her room. She had so little energy left, he thought that she might not be able to finish her story, but when he had put her on the bed and covered her over with the sheets, he saw her compose herself.  
  
Dr. Dobson looked over at Steve. "And I suppose you are going to stay, Lieutenant?"  
  
Steve just smiled at him and Rae began to speak. "He ran his fingers down my face, not where he had punched me, but the other side. Then ... then he put his hand on my neck." Her own hand moved instinctively to her throat, she didn't touch it but carried straight on talking. She had to finish this now. "I. I couldn't bear it . I moved away from him and I kicked out at him. I caught him... right where I'd meant to and he went down, I got my gun from my belt and I shot him, twice... If Jesse hadn't called out... I would have emptied my gun into him. But he did, and he sounded so weak that I forgot about Levington and ran to him... I couldn't get the cuffs off him so I came out of the building..." She stopped again, but this time there was a puzzled look on her face.  
  
"What is it, Rae?" Steve's voice was gentle.  
  
"I can't remember. Steve, what happened when I came outside?"  
  
"You collapsed. Amanda saw you first and rushed over to you. You said that Jesse had a punctured lung and that you had shot Levington. I was allowed to take over after that." He smiled at her.  
  
Dr. Dobson got up and walked over to her. "How do you feel about him now? You said that you were scared of him before, are you still scared?"  
  
Rae took a breath. "Yes, I'm still scared of him," she paused, "but, I beat him, I didn't kill him, he will get his punishment." A smile spread over her battered face. "I beat him. I won!" Once again the release that she felt was almost overwhelming. She felt two tears of relief escape and run down her cheeks, but it didn't matter, nothing mattered quite so much any more.  
  
"You've been talking for over two hours. Did you realise that?" She shook her head. "I think it is time that I took my leave. I know you probably hate me right now, but trust me, you will feel better for what you have achieved tonight."  
  
"I'm sorry that I ran away, I just couldn't tell you that last bit first. I needed to tell it to somebody that I thought would understand."  
  
"Oh, I understand, Detective, but you can help me to understand a little more the next time we meet. I believe we have an appointment on Monday morning? I'll see you at about eight thirty if that is still convenient." Rae nodded and with that he left her and Steve alone.  
  
Steve pressed the buzzer. "Nurse, could you get Dr. Collins up here please?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Sir, Dr. Collins isn't on duty at present."  
  
"Could you get my father up here then?" She smiled and went over to her station. He sat in the chair by the bed. "Rae, look at me. Did he do anything to you that you haven't told anybody about?"  
  
"No, Steve, he tried, but I stopped him, twice, I stopped him." Mark came into the room.  
  
"Steve?"  
  
"Could you give Rae something to help her to sleep, dad?  
  
"Of course, have you finished speaking to Dr. Dobson?"  
  
"Yes, for now I have." She watched Mark administer her sedative. He checked her face and felt the fingers of her injured hand.  
  
"Do you want me to check your hand for you, Rae?"  
  
"No, Mark, I'll be ok." Rae gave him a sleepy smile.  
  
"Well, I think you should have Dr. Collins take a look at that in the morning. Good night, Rae." Mark kissed her gently on the forehead and then made a couple of notes on her chart.  
  
Steve took her hand in his as he had earlier in the day.  
  
She smiled over at him. "Thank you, Steve." Her eyes slowly closed, and her breathing became deep and even. Steve put her hand back down on the bed covers. He kissed her on her forehead. He would tell her tomorrow about his time spent with her son and the things that he had found at Levington's place after she had left. As he walked back down the hallway towards Jesse's room he realised that he was bone numbingly tired himself. He looked in on Jesse and saw that the cot he had asked for had been put up. It had taken Amanda and him twenty minutes to get his father to agree to go home at the end of his shift. Steve lay down gratefully. He looked over at Jesse and then he shut his eyes. It had been quite a day. 


	13. Footsteps 2nd Saturday

2nd Saturday 

When Steve woke up in the morning, the first thing he did was to look over at Jesse. He was relieved to see that he was still sound asleep. There had been no more emergencies, after the scare the night before.  The infection had been caught in time to stop it in its tracks, Jesse's recovery was right on the line. Steve stood up and stretched. _I hate those beds; you owe me one, Jess._

"Steve?" Jesse's voice was still muffled and sleepy under the mask. He lifted his hands and took it off.

"Jess, don't. Leave it on, I'll get a nurse if you need anything." He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jesse move the mask, but before he put it back down Steve heard him say just one word."

"Hungry!" 

Steve smiled at him; "I'll go and see what I can rustle up. If you need anything, use this." He put the buzzer within his reach and then he went in search of his dad.

He found him in Rae's room. He knocked, and on hearing her voice he entered. "Hey, partner, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Better than you by the look of it. Did you sleep rolled up in a closet?"

"No! I was on cot duty in Jesse's room. Dad, he's awake and hungry."

"Ok, I'll go and see him. Thanks, Son. Rae, I'll come back in later if you'd like."

"I hope that I won't be here. I need to go and buy some more furniture, and get my apartment sorted out again." Rae looked over at Steve, "You know, I could do with a big strong man to help me out, you don't know any do you?"

"You're serious aren't you? Can't you stay at Jesse's place for a few days, at least until you can get in touch with your insurance company?"

"Yeah, I guess it would be more sensible wouldn't it? I need to go into the station anyway so that I can write up my report on what happened yesterday, no sorry, the day before."

"Rae, that can wait. Leave it until next week."

"No, Steve, I need to get it written down, and I need to talk to you about what happened."

Steve knew it was pointless to argue. "What time are you getting out of here, Rae?"

Rae looked at her silver bangle watch, which was resting on the bandage covering her injured hand. "In about an hour I think why?"

"I'll take you to Jesse's place. We can talk there. Then you can go spend some time with your son. He's a great kid, but he needs you, Rae. He has to fly home on Tuesday so you haven't got long." He paused. He wasn't going to tell her yet that John had a full day planned. But he had a feeling that after their talk, she wouldn't feel like socialising with anyone, not even her own son.

"Ok, that's a deal." Rae smiled at her partner, and he turned and left the room. He headed down towards the floor that Phil Levington was on; he wanted to find out how he was, and how long before he would be released into police custody. If there was any chance of him being at the station today, he would keep Rae well away.

The nurse on duty looked up as he approached the desk.

"I need to know when your patient Phil Levington will be released."

"I'm sorry, Sir, I can't give out that sort of information."

Steve got out his I.D. _Great; about the only nurse in the hospital who doesn't know I'm a cop._

"He's being released this morning, Sir. Both bullets went straight through him, and although he's in some pain, there are no problems with infection, so I think he's being moved in about ten minutes. He seems like a very nice guy, very friendly."

The nurse, who Steve suddenly noticed wasn't very tall, and had short brown hair smiled at him. _Great now what do I do?_ He looked at the name badge on her uniform. "He has the potential to be very dangerous, Nurse Willis. Don't give him any information about yourself." He turned and walked away. He knew he shouldn't even have said that much, but there was no way that he could let Levington transfer his attention to somebody else.

Rae was sitting facing Dr. Collins, and hoping that her hand would pass whatever tests he put it through. It felt very tight, and it still throbbed. _My mother always said things were healing if they itched. Hey, I said it to my children too, but throbbing was always bad news._

"Right, let's take this bandage off, and then we can see what your hand is like." As he talked he began to unravel the bandage and Rae had to bite her lip not to cry out. She had a feeling that all was not well underneath the protective layer. She was right. "Ok, Rae, this must be really hurting you. Why didn't you say anything?"

"It was throbbing, but Mark said to get you to look at it this morning, and besides, I'd had enough by the time it really started to hurt, the sedative was strong enough to let me sleep without troubling anyone."

"You know, your pig headedness is going to get you into serious trouble one of these days! You now have a nasty infection here. I would imagine that it feels very tight as well, am I right?" Rae just nodded. "That's because it's so swollen up that the stitches are being pulled to their very limit."

"Will I still be able to go home today, Doctor, only my son is here, and he has to go home on Tuesday?" Rae looked at him. Y_ou have got to start asking for help, girl, and not just when your life depends on it, but when it just saves some time or discomfort._

"I'll give you a course of antibiotics to take, and you may go home, but I'll strap this hand up and you are not to use it, is that clear?" Rae nodded again. "And I want you in here every day until I say otherwise, to have it cleaned and re-strapped."

"Yes, Doctor, thank you very much."

"Do you want any medication to help you sleep, just while your son is here? I guess you don't want him to know about your nightmares."

"That would be a great help, and you're right, I don't want him to know about them. Thank you."

"I'll be back in a few minutes with your medication and discharge papers. Then you can go and visit with Dr. Travis for a while before you leave."

Rae smiled at him. "Doctor, you're very kind, thank you again." She sat back in the chair and looked around. She wasn't going to miss this room. It wasn't the room she had been in before, but it might as well have been, they all looked exactly the same.

Dr. Collins came back in and a few moments later all the formalities had been sorted out. Rae stood up and shook his hand. It seemed perfectly natural to her to extend her left hand, but she had to admit it did look a bit strange. "If you see Lieutenant Sloan could you please tell him where I am?"

"Of course, take care, Rae." Rae wandered up the hallway towards Jesse's room, hoping that he would be awake. As she entered she was greeted by a smile that was almost back to normal."

"Hey, beautiful, how are you this morning?" Jesse had finished his breakfast and was feeling remarkably good considering all he had been through. "Are you going home?"

"Yep, Dr. Collins just discharged me, and I'm going to stay at your apartment for a few days if that is all right?"

"Of course, you know that's not a problem. Come here. I've missed you, Rae. I'm so sorry that I couldn't keep that creep away from you."

"Hold on, you have nothing to apologise for. Look I'm not going to let him get to us. It's over, what happened was his fault; we don't need to apologise to each other, ok? My feelings for you haven't changed, and I know that you still love me, so let's try and put it behind us."

At that moment, there was a knock on the door of Jesse's room. "Excuse me, are you, Detective Yeager?"

"Yes, that's me, can I help you?"

"These were just delivered to your room, I thought you would like them before you left."

The nurse was holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and Rae went over and took them from her. "Thank you." The nurse turned and left, Rae sat back down and picked up the card.

"No, oh, God, no. Jesse, I haven't beaten him after all, he's still after me!" The wall that Rae had built up around her, as she convinced herself that she was safe, and her new found confidence all came tumbling down, she felt the room swim and she put her head down between her knees. Jesse was panic-stricken; he knew there was nothing he could do, so he just kept pressing the buzzer until somebody came.

That somebody was Mark, who rushed into the room after hearing the noise repeating at the nurse's station. "Jesse, what's the matter? Are you ok?"

"It's Rae, Mark. Get Steve, now!"  Mark, who had no intention of leaving Rae alone, got out his cell phone and stepped out into the hallway, so he was away from the machines, but could still see her. 

"Steve, it's Dad, you need to get to Jesse's room right away... No Rae's here, she's the one who needs you." He went back into the room. Jesse was holding her as best he could, Mark went over and put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her towards him. "Rae, what happened? Are you in any pain?" She shook her head just as Steve burst into the room.

"Dad, Jesse, what's wrong?"

"The flowers, Steve, look at the card that came with the flowers." Jesse put his mask back on, he was trying to make sense of what had happened, but as he tensed up his breathing became more painful. All he knew was that everything was fine, until she read the card. He knew who it was from, but not what it said.

"My God." Steve's face was suddenly cold and angry. He took a plastic evidence bag out of his pocket slipped the card in and handed it to Jesse. 

He looked at the message printed on it. 

I hope that you are feeling better my sweet. See you soon. Phil 

"How the hell did he get to make any calls?" Steve was seething. Suddenly he thought he knew. "I'll be back in a minute. Rae, listen to me. He was discharged this morning; he's now in police custody, proper police custody. He won't be able to send you any more gifts." Steve stormed out of the room and headed for the nurse's station next to Levington's room.

Jesse had his hand on Rae's back. As he gently stroked her he could feel her begin to cry. "This is never going to end, is it? I shot him and he **still** thinks we should be together!" She raised her tear stained face and Jesse's heart went into freefall. There was nothing he could do to help; he was stuck in this damned bed and totally helpless.

Steve had had no success in getting his temper under control by the time he got to the nurse's station, but he did know that he couldn't bawl the nurse out in the hallway.

"Nurse Willis, we need to go to your nursing supervisor's office, right now." There were two nurses on duty apart from the terrified Nurse Willis. She just nodded and followed Steve into the elevator. Three minutes later they were sitting in the plush surroundings of Nurse Banyard's office.

"I understand from your demeanour, Lieutenant, that you have a problem with one of my nurses."

"You could say that. Are you aware of the fact that Dr. Travis is in the ICU, and my partner Detective Yeager is also a guest of your accommodations, because of something that happened on Thursday?"

Nurse Banyard nodded her head. She had no idea what was going on, but she knew enough about Lieutenant Sloan to know that something was seriously wrong.

"Also in this hospital was the person who put Dr. Travis and Detective Yeager in here. I believe your nurse has become friendly with him."

"Is this right, Nurse?" Nurse Banyard's eyes were like flint. 

The poor hapless nurse looked over at her superior and tried to sound calm and confident. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure who you mean."

"Mr. Levington."

"Mr. Levington? Oh, you mean Ph..." She stopped, they weren't supposed to call patients by their first names unless the patient insisted, but she had a feeling that telling them that he had indeed insisted wouldn't help her cause.

"Did he ask you to do any favours for him... Nurse?" Steve's voice was not raised, but it was clear that he was having extreme trouble keeping himself composed.

"I got him a copy of the daily paper, he had a couple of letters that he wanted posting, I did that for him." She paused. "And I lent him my cell phone this morning, just before he was released."

"Nurse Willis, I'm surprised at you."

"But we're supposed to be here to care for our patients needs. That's all I was doing."

Steve clenched his fists. "And you didn't think it would be a good idea to check with his guards **before** running errands for him?" 

She shook her head. "I knew they would say no, so I hid the paper and took it in with his meal, and the letters I just put in my pocket."

"And it didn't occur to you that the very fact that he **had** two armed guards at his door might just indicate that he was to be approached with extreme caution?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, it won't happen again."

"No it won't, Nurse, you can be assured of that." Nurse Banyard's tone almost made Steve feel sorry for the poor miserable nurse.

"Can you remember the names on the envelopes?" Steve had a feeling he knew one of them, but why would he send Rae two letters on the same day?

"One was Levington, he said it was his mother, the other, it didn't have a name just an address. I know that, because I mentioned it to him."

Steve shook his head. _Of course, even this nurse would probably have remembered Rae's name, and he couldn't risk that. This man was still far more dangerous than any of them had realised._

Steve walked back towards Jesse's room. His mind was in turmoil, he needed to tell Rae about what he'd heard, but he didn't want to frighten her. She'd been back to her normal cheery self when he'd seen her in her room this morning. Now he was going to be the one that changed that.

Rae saw her partner coming down the hallway, and stood up. "Jesse, I'll be back in a minute, ok?" She didn't wait for an answer, but headed out of the door. "Steve, I think we could both do with a coffee."

"You don't drink coffee."

"I'll start." Rae began to walk away from Jesse's room, and together they headed towards the cafeteria. Once Steve had got his coffee and Rae had bought a soda they sat down at a table in the corner away from everybody else. "Ok, Steve, I want you to tell me what happened, everything that happened, please." She looked at him with troubled eyes and Steve took a deep breath.

"He charmed a nurse." There was no need to tell Rae who he was talking about, they both knew. "There will be a letter waiting for you, either at the station or at home, which was posted by this nurse, who was on duty in his hallway, and he borrowed her cell phone to make the call to the florist. I'm sorry, Rae, but like I said before, he is now a guest of the LAPD, so there won't be any more lapses."

"Yeah, I know, it was just such a shock when I saw the card. I guess it was naive of me to think that just because we'd caught him that his obsession would vanish into the ether." Rae was playing with the soda can. She hadn't opened it, but Steve knew that they had only come down here to keep out of earshot of Jesse.

"You should tell him, Rae, he'll worry about you anyway, as soon as you leave here, at least this way he'll know what is happening, and not start inventing things."

"Yeah, I will, Steve, I just wanted to find out myself first. What happened to the nurse?"

"Well, I think she should have just about finished getting chewed out by the Nursing Supervisor, and she deserves it too."

"No, Steve, he's charming and devious. What was her name? I think I'll pay her a little visit."

"Nurse Willis, she's small with brown hair and eyes, Rae. Remind you of anybody?"

"Oh. I hope she didn't give him any of her details." Rae got up. "Will you tell Jesse, I'll be back in before I leave?" 

"Yeah, see you later." Steve stood up too, and they headed off in different directions. 

Rae arrived at the correct nurses station about five minutes later. "Hi, could you tell me where I can find Nurse Willis?"

A tall blonde nurse looked at her. "She's in the nurse's lounge, but she's not having a very good day."

"I know, is it down this way?" Rae pointed with her good hand and the nurse nodded. She walked off, wondering just how upset or angry Nurse Willis was going to be.

She looked in through the glass and could see a nurse on one of the sofas. She looked upset and had a tissue in her hands, which she was slowly shredding into tiny pieces. Rae knocked on the door and without waiting for an answer she entered.

"Hi, are you, Nurse Willis?" The tearful young girl nodded her head. Rae sat down next to her. "I'm Detective Yeager, I understand you met my partner a little while ago."

"Oh, Detective, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise that what I was doing was so dangerous. He seemed such a nice man, polite, a gentleman. I didn't mean any harm, I was just trying to do my job."

"So was I, Nurse, and he made my life a living hell, but you weren't to know that. I don't want you to get in to trouble on my account, but I think you were a little silly. Haven't you ever been on duty with a police guarded prisoner before?"

"No, ma'am, it was my first time. I think it will probably be my last too." Nurse Willis sniffed, and Rae handed her another tissue. 

"There's always a good reason for having a police guard on the door. We don't have the manpower to do it lightly. And trust me, this man is dangerous. Did you give him any personal information about yourself?"

"No, he used my cell phone, but I was in the room while he did it. I don't think he was able to find out my own number. At least I hope not."

"Listen, if anything strange happens over the next few days, if you get any strange mail, flowers, anything, you need to ring the station and speak to Jan Burlington?" Rae fumbled about in her pocket and brought out a card. "Here you go, I'm afraid my jacket has seen a bit of punishment the last couple of days, so this is a bit battered." Rae smiled at the nurse. "Don't worry, I'm sure you will get another chance to do that type of duty."

With that Rae left the nurse to her deliberations and headed back to see Jesse. Steve was in there as well. "Steve, could you give us a minute?" Rae looked over at her partner. 

"Sure." Steve moved across the room. He looked back at Rae who was composing herself before she let Jesse know what had happened so far about the flowers.

Rae sat gently on the edge of the bed. She saw Jesse wince and moved onto the chair. "He charmed a nurse, Jess. That's how I got the flowers. There is a letter in the system somewhere for me too." She shuddered, and Jesse lifted her hand and placed it between his face and the pillow. Rae smiled at him and took another breath. "I gave the nurse Jan's card just in case he tries to get to her, but I was right, he isn't going to stop, I just have to accept it and try to move on."

"Can you do that, Rae?" Jesse's voice was still muffled by the mask, and his eyes were full of concern.

"If you help me, yes."

"Hey, that goes without saying. I love you remember, he won't change that, nothing will."

Rae lifted the mask and kissed Jesse gently on the cheek. He pulled her across and kissed her lips. She smiled at him, kissed him on the tip of the nose and then placed the mask back on. "Jess, I'm going to head home now, sweetheart. I'll be back in later, ok? I might even bring John with me if you're really lucky!" 

"I hope this will be gone by then. I feel fine, breathing wise anyway. I'll see you later."

Steve and Rae left the room together and headed down to the parking lot. They got into Steve's car and travelled in silence back to Jesse's apartment. As they drove Rae thought about what she had to talk to Steve about. He needed to know what had happened to her, and how she felt. She hoped he would be all right with what she had to say.

Steve was thinking along the same lines. He had to tell her what they had found in Levington's store after she had left, it gave him goosebumps so he wasn't sure how she would react.

Once they arrived Rae went up and opened Jesse's door. On the mat was a letter with just the address on it. She looked over at Steve. "Do you want me to open it for you?"

"No, Steve, thank you, I'll do this." She took a pair of gloves out of her inside pocket and pulled them on. Then she opened the envelope carefully and took the letter over to the sofa. Taking a deep breath she began to read.

_So, my dear, you must be home if you're reading this letter. I presumed that you wouldn't be in your own apartment, but I'm sure that you will be collecting the good doctor's mail for him. It's a pity that he's still around to read it, but trust me, I'll make sure that this is not the case next time. Once I am well rested we can resume our relationship. We are destined to be together. I saw the way you looked at all those photos when you came into my store. Soon I will be able to take more. _

_Oh, don't apologise for shooting me, I will wear my scars as tokens of your love._

_See you soon beloved._

_Phil._

Rae looked over at Steve, she was shocked, but she tried to make light of the situation. "Well, let's hope that it takes about twenty years for him to be well rested. You know, I didn't think I had it in me to hate somebody, but he comes real close." Steve opened a plastic evidence bag, and Rae slipped the letter and its envelope into it. 

"I think we need to talk, Rae. We were separated at the culmination of a case again, I realise that this time it was a little different from the Howard case, but we need to let each other know what we found."

"That means that you found something after I left doesn't it?" It came out as a question, but Rae knew that it was true. Steve sat next to her and began to talk.

"Mmm. I think that you were in far more danger than any of us realised. When I searched the rest of his living area, I found an overnight bag made up. I think the clothes were from the holdall that he took from the beach house..." Steve paused. "I also found a set of matching wedding rings, and enough Rohypnol to keep you in a permanent daze for about a month." 

"My God, he was going to kidnap me, drug me and then MARRY ME? How would he have got away with that?"

"He would probably have driven to Vegas and married you in one of those drive thru chapels."

Rae shook her head. She looked over at her partner and was shocked by the look on his face. He looked more troubled than she had ever seen him. _OK, so I haven't known him long, but he still looks troubled._ "What is it, Steve? Is there more? There is isn't there."

"We found a picture, taken from a magazine, of a man kneeling ready to be shot execution style – he had put Jesse's head on to that body." Steve saw the tears shine in Rae's eyes. He had no idea how to broach the last piece of information that he had, so he decided to just go for it.

"I need to go into your apartment, Rae, and you need to come with me." They walked together out into the hallway. Rae opened the front door to her ruined home. As she entered she gasped. All the furniture was gone.

"What happened to all my stuff?"

"I had it removed, Rae. I got another photographer in to re-take the pictures, and then I had everything taken away."

"Thank you, Steve. I appreciate it."

Steve had put some gloves on as he entered the room. He had pulled a lot of strings to be doing what he was at the moment. But he knew that this was going to be hard on Rae, whatever way it was done. "There are cameras in here, Rae, video cameras, just like in Jesse's place. I found the tapes at Levington's store." He stopped talking and looked at her.

"Where?" Her voice came out as a whisper.

"Every room."  He didn't know what else to say, so he started his search. 

It didn't take long to find them. Rae doubted she would have ever spotted them in the normal course of events, they were so small, but as they were looking for them it was quite easy. Once Steve had dealt with them, and bagged and tagged them, they returned to Jesse's apartment.

"This isn't your case, why are you doing this? Steve, what's on those tapes?"

"Your life in that apartment. Everything you did on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning." He looked at her and suddenly realisation dawned. "I didn't think you would want anybody else to see what was on those films. It's bad enough that it happened to you once, but twice." He shook his head. He didn't know what else to say.

"I don't think I want you to see them either. My God, he was more successful that I thought. He did rape me after all."

"Rae! What else happened in that room?" 

"I'll tell you in a while. What did you do with the tapes?"

"I took them back to the station on Thursday afternoon and straight to the Chief. We looked at them together, and then we put them in the evidence locker in a secure container. Nobody else will see them, Rae, I promise you that."

"What about in court. Will they be used then?"

"I don't know. He has the upper hand slightly there, if he wants them shown we may not be able to stop him. Innocent until proven guilty, remember?"

"I can't believe this. I don't know what to say." She paused for a minute, her mind racing. "I feel violated, cheap. What Jesse and I have, what we enjoy, together, it's been spoilt, turned into a sideshow. When it happened the first time, we had problems, you know that, but we got over them. I never dreamt that he would do it again." She stopped talking and stood up. Steve could see she was trying to get her emotions under control. She still had things to tell him, and she couldn't do that right now.

"I need to get out of here. I can't stay any longer." She ran the fingers of her left hand through her hair. "John, what am I going to do about John? I can't see him like this."

"He won't have time to see you today anyway. He has a tour of the station taking place as we speak. I've arranged for him to go on a ride along with Martin and his partner." He saw the anxiety on her face, and smiled. Just for a moment she was a mom, nothing else. "Don't worry, Martin is sensible, he'll keep him safe.  Then after that Alex is going to take him to Bob's and we'll meet him there for dinner later. How does that sound?"

"Thank you. Steve, can we go to the beach?" He knew that she had heard him, but her mind was already back on one thing and one thing only. She had to tell him what had happened to her.

"Yeah, why not? Come on, we can walk along the shore and talk there. The wind will blow away your words, so nobody else will know about them."

They drove to the beach house, talking about inconsequential things, and Rae tried to relax. She hoped that once she had talked to Steve and Jesse about what had happened she could put it behind her and move on. Although she had a feeling that until Levington was behind bars she would still feel victimised.

They walked slowly down to the shoreline and watched the seagulls swooping and crying. There were a few people on the sand, but nobody was interested in them, and they walked uninterrupted for about five minutes before Rae started to talk.

"When I went in through the door to the shop all I could see were photos of you, Jesse and me. All your pictures were mutilated. Mine weren't, except the ones Lloyd took, and the ones that he took of me in the white dress. He had stills of me at Jesse's, and they were worse than those in the paper... A lot worse. There were some of when you and I were asleep on the beach. When we were all talking on the deck the same day. Almost everything that I had done since the first time I met him was up there for me to see. If Jesse hadn't been in there I would have turned tail and run." Rae found that she could talk to Steve about this in a different way than to Brian Dobson. 

"I felt his gun behind my ear and I tried to keep calm. I honestly thought that Jesse was already dead. The gun was warm, I though he had... shot him ... after he shot you." _I didn't tell that to Dr. Dobson_.  "He made me walk over towards the wall... and then I had to turn around... He made me take my vest off and... He started to touch me, and he tried to kiss me. I couldn't get away from him... He forced his tongue into my mouth..." She stopped talking; she could almost feel him again as he forced his attentions on her. 

They were still walking, but Steve stopped and looked around. He could see a little sandy hillock and he directed her over. Once they had both sat down, Rae continued. "I bit down hard on his tongue ... and he gave me this." She put her hand up to her face.

"Rae, are you alright? Do you want to leave it for a while?"

"No, I need to finish. He wanted your number, your cell number, but I've never had to call it. So I couldn't give it to him. He grabbed my right hand... and I felt the stitches burst... Jesse told him the number... That was the first time I'd heard him... and knew that he was still alive." She paused and took a deep breath. _I thought things were supposed to get easier with the telling._

"He took me into where Jesse was, he was chained up to the radiator, but he was conscious. He wouldn't let me go to him; he said I was there to watch him... die... I guess that was what the picture was for... thank goodness I didn't know that at the time. I tried to talk him out of it; I told him he hadn't killed anybody yet. I said that if he let him go I ... would stay with him." She stopped talking again. With the knowledge she had from Steve she knew she would either be married or dead by now. She wasn't sure which was the better option.

"He came towards me, I was backing away as I spoke to him. He began to touch my face... then his fingers touched my neck..." She began to cry. "Oh, God, why do I keep crying all the time."

"Shhh, Rae, it's a natural reaction after all you've been through.  I know this bit. I was with you when you told Brian Dobson."

She nodded gratefully. "I lied to the Chief, Steve, I do wish I'd killed him, I think I always will." She looked around, as if she half expected the Chief to leap out from behind a sand dune. 

Steve looked at his watch. It was just before five in the afternoon. They had been together almost all day. He hoped that he had helped her. "Rae, why don't you come back to the house and have a nap on the bed. Then we can go over to Bob's together and meet up with John."

Rae nodded and looked around her. "Do you know, I have no idea where I am."

Steve smiled, "Actually we're just about ten minutes from home. We changed direction a couple of times, but you were so caught up in what you were saying that you didn't notice!"

They walked back to the house without saying anything more, Rae felt considerably lighter because she had told Steve everything, but she had a heavy feeling lying over her heart. The knowledge that Levington had seen her and Jesse together again would take a lot of getting used to. She had a feeling that she would have to tell Jesse everything after all.

Bob's was jumping when they arrived. Alex was behind the counter trying to work with only one arm and to Rae's surprise John was wiping down the counter and removing empty glasses. "Well that's got to be a first. Have you got a permit to do that young man?"

John looked at her, his worried frown turning into a smile. "Ha ha, come on, we saved you a table. Steve?"

"I'll join you later. Rae, go and sit down, I bring you over your usual order in a while, ok?" 

She nodded and followed John over to the table in the corner with a Reserved sign on it. When Steve looked over again he saw them deep in conversation. "I think he's getting the censored version of what has happened over the last few days." Steve looked over at Alex. "How's the arm? Your face looks better. Not scaring too many customers away I hope."

Alex put a credit card slip into the cash register and then looked over at his friend. "It's better. You know I'll testify if you need me, that guy should be behind bars."

"Thanks, Alex, I'm afraid it may come to that." Steve sighed and headed for the kitchen to put Rae's order through. 

It was a busy night, and it was after nine before Steve joined Rae and John at their table. "Hey, John, did you have a good day?"

"Yeah, it was great, thanks for organising it for me. You know I owe you an apology, I'm sorry about what I said. I've heard nothing, but nice things about you today. I think my mum's lucky to be working with you." The young man looked away, with an embarrassed tinge to his face. Steve saw Rae put her hand over her son's, which dwarfed her own.

"Steve, I'm sorry, but I'm absolutely exhausted, do you mind if we go home?" Her hand went to her mouth, "Jesse, I said I'd go back to see him. Could we go that way?"

"I'd phone the nurse's station, Rae, tell him you'll be in tomorrow. Let him go to sleep." She nodded. It would be nice to spend some time with him tomorrow.

When Rae and John had been dropped at Jesse's apartment Rae set about sorting John out a bed on the sofa. He had a shower and soon he was laying down ready to drop off to sleep. Rae perched herself by his side.

"This is nice. Thank you for coming over. I've missed you." She kissed him on the cheek and he put his arms round her and hugged her hard. "Oh, John." She got back up, had a shower herself, _keep your hand dry, keep your hand dry!_ and got ready for bed. She looked back into the living area, but John was already fast asleep. She got into bed and lay looking up at the ceiling and wondered when normality would return.


	14. Footsteps 2nd Sunday

2nd Sunday 

Rae lay in her bed, she needed a cup of tea, but John was still sound asleep on the sofa. She had decided to give him until nine o clock, and then she was going to get up and just get on with things. As she lay there she heard a tap on her door and the sleepy eyed young man looked in.

"Hi, sweetheart, did you sleep ok?"

"Yeah, I like sleeping on the sofa," he walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Mum, I need to ask you a couple of questions, don't get cross, or embarrassed, just answer them, all right?"

Rae spent the next half an hour trying to convince her son that it was safe for her to stay in L.A. She told him a little about Phil Levington, including the fact that he hadn't hurt her any more than he could see. Then they turned to more pleasant things, and talked about Patrick and Mara, how they were doing at school and also about their Dad's new girlfriend.

"Mum," John turned and looked at her. "I would like to meet Jesse."

"Of course, I would like you to meet him too." She looked at her watch. "I have to go in and get my hand looked at, so we could go see Jesse first." Once this was agreed they got up and got ready at a leisurely pace. Rae called a cab, and soon they were on their way back to Community General.

Rae walked up to the nurse's station in the ICU. "Is Dr. Travis able to have visitors at the moment?"

The nurse smiled at her. "He was moved to an ordinary room about half an hour ago, number 298."

Rae was thrilled by the news. She and John headed off again and soon she was knocking on the door of Jesse's new room. She heard his voice and they went in.

"Rae, honey, look, no machines, I might even get to go home on Saturday." Rae leant over him, kissed him on the lips, and moved her fingers through his hair. She knew that John was in the room, but she had missed the physical contact with this wonderful man of hers.

Finally she pulled away. "Jess, this is John, my eldest son. John, this is Jesse." 

John held out his hand. "Hi, I'm pleased to meet you. Are you ok? From what Mum tells me, you were hurt pretty bad."

"I'm better now. I was stupid, and I paid for my stupidity with a vacation, care of Community General. So, how was your day out yesterday? Steve told me what he had planned."

John started to tell Jesse about the ride along he'd had. It wasn't long before Jesse was describing the trick he thought was being played on him the last time he went on a ride along. Rae excused herself and headed down towards the ER.

Dr. Collins was standing by the reception desk as she exited the elevator. She smiled at him. "Good morning, Doctor, how are you today?"

"I'm fine, Rae, thank you. How's the hand?"

"Well, I was hoping that you could tell me!" They walked together into a trauma suite and Rae sat on the couch. 

"Ok, let's just take the bandage off this." As he started to remove the bandage he looked at Rae. Her face was at ease. It looked like the antibiotics were working well. 

"Oh, that looks much better. How about this?"

Rae jumped as he ran his finger across her hand, but it was nowhere near as painful as it had been. "I think that it's getting better, doctor, it didn't make me feel sick this time!" She looked at her hand. To her untrained eye, it didn't look as bad as it had been. It certainly didn't hurt as much.

"This is getting better, but that doesn't mean that you can go using it yet. I want it strapped up for at least another week, which means no work, Detective Yeager, is that clear?" he began to bandage it up again.

"Yes, Doctor. I guess so. It'll give me some time to spend with my son and Jesse. Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow." Rae got off the couch and headed back up to Jesse's room. He was still talking to John as she slipped into the room. She stood leaning against the glass watching two of the men she loved most in the whole world behaving like old acquaintances. She wasn't surprised, Jesse was so easy going, and John had never been short of friends, although most of the good ones he had known since nursery. _Kindergarten, here that would be four-year-old kindergarten._ As she stood there, somebody knocked on the door behind her.

"Mark, hi." She turned to her friend and kissed him on the cheek. "How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine, sweetie, how's the hand?"

"Getting better, Dr. Collins says the infection is responding to treatment, and I don't think I look quite so scary this morning! Oh, Mark, this is my eldest son, John." She walked over to where Jesse and John were still deep in conversation. "John, this is Dr. Mark Sloan, Steve's dad."

John turned to see a smiling white haired gentleman looking at him. He stood up and shook his hand. "Hi, I'm pleased to meet you."

"Rae, I need to see Jesse for a few minutes, could you come back in about half an hour?"

"Of course, I'll go and introduce John to the delights of the hospital canteen." She walked back to Jesse's bed. "I'll come back in a little while, sweetheart." She kissed him gently on the forehead and then left the room with her hand holding tightly to that of her son.

"...And you say that Steve actually likes this stuff?" John looked incredulously at his mother. "Don't you find it worrying that this is a man who owns a restaurant?"

Rae laughed. "You know I hadn't put the two together, but yeah, I guess I do. His favourite is macaroni cheese, but he calls it macaroni **and** cheese. This language is not English as we know it."

John laughed as well, but then his face turned serious. "You need to make a visit home mum, Patrick and Mara need to see that you're all right. I know they'll expect me to give them a time when you're coming almost the instant I land."

"I know John, and I'll try and sort something out. Trust me a little longer. You know the third one's a charm, maybe my next case won't be quite so traumatic." She looked at her watch. "We could go back up now, Mark will have finished." As she spoke she saw him walking towards them.

"Rae, Jesse is dropping off to sleep up there, but I thought you might want to sit with him. John, I'm just finishing my shift, would you like to come back to the beach house with me, and watch the world go by for a while?"

John smiled at him, "Yeah, I think I could cope with that, mum, is it ok, with you?"

"Sure, sweetheart, I'll come over with Steve later. Then we can get a cab back to Jesse's at the end of the evening. Thank you, Mark." Rae and John went their separate ways, Rae waved at his retreating back as she headed back to Jesse's room.

She had been sitting there for about an hour, writing down some notes for her statement when the nightmare started.

Jesse could feel the pad around his mouth, as he squirmed and tried to break free. Then instantly he was tied up on the floor being kicked and punched. 

Rae had moved quickly to the head of Jesse's bed when he had started to toss and turn. She put her hand on his shoulder, but he moved away from her. 

"No, no, please don't, no."

He saw Rae coming towards him, a gun pointed at her. He tried to get closer, he could move away from the radiator that he was now attached to, and he went towards her. As he got within reach they moved away from him again, and he saw Levington begin to kiss her. "No, leave her, don't touch her." He felt himself being moved away from what was happening.  

Jesse was trying to push himself off the bed, but Rae gently pushed him back down.

"Oh, God, please, don't touch her."

"Jesse, honey, no, don't. Please, baby." Her voice was heavy with tears as she struggled with what she was hearing.

He could hear her voice, calling to him, telling him no, not to do anything, but he had to. He moved towards her again, and then he saw her with a scarf around her neck, lying dead on the ground. He reached out to touch her, to take the scarf away and impossibly she raised her gun and began to fire it. "Rae, no. RAE! NOOOOOOO!"

He was getting very agitated now. Rae leant over and pressed the nurse's button and then turned back to him. He put his hands out towards her, trying to pull at her, grabbing her t-shirt. His voice got louder and he began to scream. "RAE! NOOOOOOO!"

Rae knew that she had to get to him. Speaking softly hadn't worked. "Jesse," She put her hands on his shoulders. "Jesse, Come On Wake Up. Jesse!" The nurse came into the room. "Get Dr. Collins up here please, Nurse. Dr. Sloan has gone for the day hasn't he?"

She nodded and left as silently as she had arrived.

The room was beginning to fade away. He could hear her voice, but she was dead, he looked at her and he could see Phil Levington with his hands on her throat. "No, get away from her, she's mine, leave her. Don't touch her." He was crying now, but it made no difference.

"... leave her. Don't touch her." 

Rae brushed her fingers down his face, and then gently brushed his hair back from his forehead. It made no difference to him. "Jesse, come on, sweetheart, come back to me, please." Her left hand was firm on his shoulder now. "Jesse!"

Then he heard her voice. "Come back to me, please. Jesse."

Suddenly she saw him take a gulp of air, he looked at her, and the tears began to come. "Rae... Oh God ... Rae, I'm ... so..."

"Shhh, it's all right. It's over, my darling, it's over."

"I couldn't ... reach ... you... Rae... hold me..." His face was contorted with the sobbing and the pain of his dreams. She leant across and gently laid her head on his shoulder, then she put her arm across him and gave him a squeeze. 

There was a faint knock on the door and Rae looked up to see Dr. Collins standing there. "Are you alright, Rae?"

"He had a nightmare, Doctor, I'm fine, but later he may need something to help him sleep."

"Get a nurse to contact me again when he's ready." Dr. Collins smiled at her and left the room. He knew that right now Jesse needed a friendly ear more than a sedative.

"Jess, look at me." Rae placed the index finger of her left hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her. 

"Tell me about it. Tell me about your dream."

He gulped in some more air, and tried to wipe the tears away from his face. "I let you down, Rae, I'm so sorry."

"What? No, Jess. Oh, honey, no, never. You have never let me down. We have to talk about what Levington did, whenever you're ready. Jesse, he didn't hurt me, not like you think, I promise you that." She leant over and kissed him where the tears were running down his face. 

"Oh, Rae, I need you here with me so much."

"I know, and I'm not going anywhere. John is spending the day with Mark, I will stay until you are fed up with me and want me to go."

"Hold me, Rae,"

"I don't want to hurt you, Jess."

"You won't, just put your arm around me, I just need to feel you touching me."  She leant over and did as he asked. They stayed together like that for a few minutes.

"Jess."

"Mmm"

"Honey, my arm has gone numb, could I move do you think?" Rae lay there, waiting for a reply. "Jess? Sweetheart I need to move, is that all right?"

"What, oh, sorry." Jesse rubbed at his eyes. "Oh, God, Rae, I don't want to be like this."

Rae sat up and looked over at Jesse, his face was wet with tears, but it was more than that. He looked uncomfortable, as if he didn't know what to say next. Rae watched as he ran his hands through his hair, again and again, even though it was obvious that the movements caused him pain.

"Jess, listen, as a founder member of the I can cope on my own society, take it from me, we can't. We need each other. You may need to see Brian, like I do, or maybe just talking to me might do it. We can try the last first if you would like."

Jesse nodded. He took a deep breath. "I felt so helpless. I knew that he was going to kill me... but it was you I was worried about. I could hear him talking to you, when you were in the other room. I heard him make you take your vest off... I thought he was going to shoot you... I heard him... hit you, and then... when you didn't have Steve's number you cried out... and I couldn't reach you." He had to stop talking. His chest was hurting, and his head was swimming. "Rae ... I'm sorry, I can't talk any more."

"Hey, sweetie, shhh it's ok. Relax and shut your eyes, I'll stay with you. Nobody can hurt you anymore, or me."

Jesse did as he was told, but he wasn't tired, his brain was whirling and he couldn't stop it. He tried to think of other things, nice things he and Rae had done together, and slowly he began to get a hold of himself again. He opened his eyes. Rae was still sitting, as she had been, her hand over the top of his. "Rae?"

"Shhh, it's ok, honey, I'm here." 

She looked at him, and he could see the love in her eyes. "Tell me, Rae, did he... force himself on you?"

"No, Jesse, he tried, but he didn't do it. He touched me... and kissed me, he put his tongue into my mouth, and I bit it, hard. That's how I got this." She ran her hand down her face. Then she smiled. "But it was worth it!"

Jesse smiled back at her. "I'm sorry he hit you, but I'm so glad that you did that to him! Rae, when you shot him, would you have carried on shooting if I hadn't called out?"

Rae looked down. "Yes, I would have. I hated him, Jesse. I still do, for what he did to you, to Steve and Alex, to me, and to us. Part of me still wishes I had killed him." 

They were both quiet then. Rae tried to shut out the feelings that she had for the man who had turned their lives into a living nightmare, while Jesse tried to work out how to say the one thing he had left on his mind.

"Rae, if he hadn't touched you on the neck, what do you think would have happened?"

Rae looked at him. She knew now what the answer to that was. She also knew that Jesse had her in a corner, she had to answer him, she just wasn't sure if he was ready for it.

"Rae, look at me. I need to know, what would have happened?"

He had changed his question, he knew that Rae had a very good idea what the outcome would be, and he wanted to know, now.

"He would have killed you, Jess, and then he would have drugged me and either killed me too, or I would have wound up in a seedy motel somewhere as the first Mrs. Levington. Steve found my clothes from the beach house, wedding rings, and Rohypnol. I'm sorry, Jess, but I know that's what would have happened."

Jesse looked at her, for some strange reason he felt better for her having said that, as terrible as it would have been. "Thank you, thank you for being honest with me. I think I will sleep now, for a while. Will you stay?"

Rae nodded. "I'll just go down to the newsstand and get a magazine and then I'll be back, ok?" She stood up and left the room. She went down via the ER. As she arrived at the nurse's station she could see Dr. Collins working in one of the trauma suites. "Nurse, could you get Dr. Collins to come up to Dr. Travis' room when he's free please? Tell him it's not urgent, but I would like to speak with him."

Rae grabbed a couple of magazines and then headed back up to Jesse's room. He was sound asleep when she entered. She opened the first magazine, but as she flicked through it she remembered the feelings she had when she saw herself in the Comet, with a gasp she dropped it onto the table. _For goodness sake, girl, get a hold of yourself. It's over; you need to get your life back._  She picked up the pad that she had been writing her report on, and continued with her work instead.

Jesse slept, soundly, for three hours. Dr. Collins had been up and Rae told him what had happened. He made some notes on the chart ready for Mark to read at the beginning of his next shift, although Rae assured him that she would tell him everything that evening. 

It was just after twenty past four when Jesse woke. Rae had just tiptoed out of the room because Steve had arrived. She had explained about the dreams and they were talking quietly when Rae heard her name.

"Rae, where are you?"

"I'll meet you in the cafeteria in twenty minutes, ok?"

Steve nodded his head and walked away. 

"I'm here, Jess, it's alright, I'm still here."

"I didn't dream, Rae, thank you." He put his hand up and pulled her down towards him. He began to kiss her. 

Rae felt his tongue go into her mouth, and for an instant she froze, then she opened her eyes, so that she could see it was Jesse as he kissed her, relaxed and let him explore. She felt his hands in her hair, and she began to respond to his kiss. For a while there was no one else who mattered in the world, and then they slowly parted.

Her expression changed to one of concern as she watched him struggle slightly for breath.

"Jess, are you alright. She looked around, there was an oxygen machine by the bed, but Jesse shook his head.

"No, I'm fine, you make me breathless even when I'm not hurt." He smiled at her, he was breathing normally again now.

"Oh, Jess, what a lovely thing to say. Thank you. Listen, I have to go and see Steve, will you be alright?" She moved the buzzer nearer to his hand and leant over and kissed him on the lips once more. "I'll be back in a little while, probably about half an hour or so.

Rae headed for the cafeteria. Steve had a plate of food in front of him and was tucking in with gusto. "Were you starved as a small child, Lieutenant?"

"What? Oh, funny! Look I know it's a standing joke that I like this food, but I do, and I'm hungry!"

"Don't pout, Lieutenant, just eat your meal, I'm sure your stomach will realise it's mistake one of these days!" Rae watched him for a minute, then she smiled at him. "What did you want to see me about, Steve?"

"The arraignment is tomorrow. We got a true bill at the indictment without any problems."

Rae looked at him. He could tell instantly that she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Ok, let me start again. The arraignment is tomorrow. Are you with me so far?"

Rae stuck her tongue out at him, "Yes, arraignment – Levington will enter a plea and the judge will set a date for trial. But a defendant must be indicted by the grand jury prior to being brought to trial. If the jury thinks that the defendant probably did the crime then you get an indictment." She smiled at him.

"A true bill is another way of saying that we got an indictment. So, Friday we got a true bill. The arraignment will be tomorrow, so will the bail hearing hopefully."

Rae looked at him. "No, Steve, they wouldn't. He'll try again. I know he will. Can't we oppose bail? What about what he did to Jesse?"

"Hey, slow down, he won't get bail, Rae. He might have on the stalking charges, but he kidnapped Jesse, and seriously injured him. He's looking at twenty years to life. There is no way he will get bail."

Rae breathed a sigh of relief. 

"It's not our case, Rae, we'll both be called as witnesses, so will Jesse, and probably Alex."

"Why only probably Alex?"

"Because we have no proof that Levington was driving that car. We checked his vehicle, and there were no indications that it had been involved in a hit and run. So it's just our word against theirs. If his diary can be used then we have proof."

"Is there any reason why we shouldn't be able to use it?"

"No, I don't think so. Everything was carried out by the book. Jan made sure of that. Rae, how do you think you'll feel facing him across the courtroom?"

"I have no idea. It wasn't a problem with Leticia Howard, because she pleaded guilty. I guess it's not surprising that I won't get that to happen twice."

Rae looked over towards the counter and saw Lee Tennant bring some food out. She hadn't seen him since just after Leticia Howard had murdered his son. So she excused herself and walked over.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Tennant, how are you getting on?"

Lee Tennant looked over with a puzzled face, then realised who she was. "Not too bad thanks, Detective." He moved over to a quiet part of the serving line and Rae followed him. "I've started to see a councillor, it feels good to be able to talk about Terry, and know that I'm the only one who is going to get upset. What about you? I hear you've had your own problems, with the Howard woman and since." He looked at her, and Rae could see the compassion in his eyes.

"Yep, it's been a bit hairy, but hopefully life will settle down a bit now. You know where to reach me if you ever need anything." She smiled at him and headed back towards Steve's table.

"How is he, Rae?"

"Suffering, grieving, just the same as the Marlow's. I don't know if any of them will ever get over it. Makes my problems seem small." She tried a smile, but found that she couldn't. "Steve, I'm going to go back up to Jesse. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, I've got to get back to the station. Rae, do you know when you will be back in?"

"Well, Dr. Collins said that I should have the week off, but I plan to be back in on Wednesday after John has left. What time are you finishing tonight?"

Steve looked at his watch, "Probably in about an hour, five thirtyish."

"Any chance of a lift to the beach house? John has spent the day there."

"Sure, I'll pick you up down stairs at about six."

"Thanks." Rae walked away from him, saw Lee Tennant again and waved as she passed.

Jesse was dozing as she entered the room, but he stirred as she sat on the chair. "Hey, you were quick."

"No, you were asleep." She took his hand in hers and looked at him. "Jess, when you get out of the hospital, how long before you will be back on duty?"

"I don't know, probably about a month, maybe six weeks before I can get back to work why?"

"I thought I might go and visit with my children ... I would like you to come with me."

Jesse smiled at her. "I would love to, Rae, how about in say four weeks time?"

"That's a plan then." She smiled at him, and sighed. She had hoped that would be his response. 

They were quiet for a while, Jesse wasn't tired, but he didn't have much energy to spare. He liked the way she was gently stroking his hand, and he lay there enjoying the sensation.

After a while there was a tap at the door and a nurse came in with Jesse's evening meal. Rae looked at her watch, "Goodness me, it's almost six already. Jesse, I need to get to Mark's, he's been stuck with John nearly all day. I'll be back in the morning, ok?"

The nurse left the room, and Rae walked over and gave Jesse a goodbye kiss.

 "I love you, Rae, be careful, honey."

"I will, sleep well."

Steve was waiting for Rae when she arrived in Reception. "Hey, I was beginning to think you had fallen asleep up there. Or maybe you were getting something to eat!"

Rae just looked at him. Then unable to resist it any longer stuck her tongue out at him. "Come on, let's go save Mark from John."

When they arrived at the beach house, Mark was sat on the deck. Rae looked out over the sand and she could see John running into the water. "He's quite a water baby isn't he?" Mark looked over at her.

"Oh, yeah, he loves to swim. He's done lifeguard training, diving, all sorts of different courses, but in the end it's just the swimming that he enjoys the most."

"Actually I think it's the young ladies in bikinis that he enjoys the most now." Mark smiled across at the young man's obviously proud mother. "The accent doesn't do him any harm either!"

"My son, the flirt!" Rae looked across at him as he came slowly up the beach. She was immensely proud of him; she couldn't believe how glad she was he had come to visit.

"Hey, Mum, why didn't you tell me this was where you were staying when you first arrived. What a fantastic place!"

"It is, isn't it? But you have been here all day. It's time we made ourselves scarce. Get yourself dressed and I'll call for a cab."

"Rae, I won't hear of it. Dinner is in the oven, and I have made enough for everyone. Steve or I will run you both back to Jesse's after that."

"Thank you, Mark, that would be lovely, and I do need to talk to you about Jess."

"Sure, sweetie, what is it, is there a problem?"

"He had a nightmare this afternoon. In his mind he was back in Levington's place. We talked about it afterwards, and he feels that he let me down. 

"That's understandable, honey, he loves you. You felt that way yourself only a couple of days ago, didn't you?"

"I know that, Mark, but it's different, Levington was after me, and I'm a cop, I should have been able to protect Jesse."

"You're not superwoman, Rae, he wants to look after you, and I guess he feels that by being captured by Levington he failed. That's why he feels that he let you down."

Rae nodded. "I told him that he hadn't, but he heard everything that went on, Mark. I think it will prey on his mind for a while.  I told him that he should consider seeing Brian Dobson, and I got the feeling that he will think about it."

"Good grief, you shouldn't be a police woman, you should be a doctor, I would never have gotten that past him."

"Well, he was a bit of a captive audience, and I do keep my best bedside manner for the special people in my life. 

Mark smiled and put his hand over hers. "He'll be fine, Rae, it may take some time, but he will be fine, and so will you, honey."

The meal and the company were both very good. It was past eleven before Rae and John settled themselves for the night at Jesse's once again. Rae lay in bed looking up at the ceiling. _All in all, it's been quite a good day._ With that pleasant thought in her mind her eyes slowly closed and she slept.


	15. Footsteps 3rd Monday and Beyond

**3rd Monday and Beyond**

Rae took John with her when she went to see Dr. Dobson. He was going to go up and see Jesse while she attended her appointment, but she just wanted them to meet each other. Helen was on duty when they arrived, she was putting some flowers into a vase. "Good morning, Helen, how are you this morning?"

"Fine, thank you, Detective. Dr. Dobson is waiting for you, if you would like to go through."

"I just want to introduce him to my son, then he is going to go visit with Dr. Travis." Rae let John walk in before her. Dr. Dobson was sorting his mail, but he stood up as he saw them enter.

"Good morning, Detective. This must be your son." He held out his hand. John took it with a smile.

"I am, how did you know that?"

"I hate to disillusion you, but you look like your mother!" They smiled at each other.

"Good morning, Doctor, John isn't going to stay, I just wanted to introduce you. If I'd realised that I was going to be insulted, I may have changed my mind." She smiled and John stuck his tongue out at her.

John walked over. "I'll go and see Jesse then, Mum. Are you going to meet me up there?"

Rae nodded and watched as her son left the room. "Sorry about that, but I'm trying to make him feel included in my life, he goes home tomorrow." Rae sighed; she was really going to miss him.

"It's not a problem. So, Detective, how are you feeling this morning? You see to be quite bright."

"I don't really know. I think I'm in some sort of limbo. Levington's in jail; he'll be arraigned today. I know that he'll plead not guilty. After the preliminary hearing I plan to go home to England, with Jesse, to see my family. I can't go back to work until next Monday; Dr. Collins won't let me. So, here I am, with lots that needs to be done, unable to do any of it."

"Have you ever heard of the word relax, Detective?" Rae looked at him. "I suggest that you use your time to do some of that. Maybe read a book, or even, do absolutely nothing. I think it will do you good."

"Maybe I could go over to Dr. Sloan's house and spend some time on the beach." Rae looked at him. The idea was very appealing.

"How have you been sleeping since I saw you, Detective?" 

Rae looked at him, and shrugged. "I don't know. I've been taking a sedative while John's here. I didn't want him to hear me if I had nightmares. Jesse and I can sort out our bad dreams together after John has gone home." She paused. "I hope that the dreams don't come back, they were horrid." She shivered. 

"In what way?"

"They distorted what happened. Mixed up the Howard Case and what happened with Levington. No, I don't want them back." Rae ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn't sure if this was doing her any good this morning. She felt more agitated and anxious now, than when she had come in.

"Detective." She turned to face the doctor.

"Yes?"

"You can't push these feelings away all the time. I understood what you meant about your throat, you can't bear to let anyone touch it can you?"

"No, apart from Jesse, I don't know that I ever will. What she did to me..."

Dr. Dobson cut across her, "You mean Leticia Howard?"

"Yes, she nearly killed me, it was so quick, I felt so vulnerable, and then when he touched me." She stopped and a shudder went through her.

"Maybe she saved your life, Detective, have you thought of that? Would you have done what you did if he hadn't touched you there?"

"Jesse asked me that. I don't think I would have shot him, not then anyway. Maybe he would have found my gun and I would have lost my edge, not that I felt like I had one most of the time." She smiled. "I'd never kicked a man there before, it's quite effective isn't it?"

He smiled at her, but didn't reply to that part of her question. "I think that I will let you go today, but I want to see you next Monday, and, if you are going to travel to London, I want to see you again before you go.  We'll talk things through in more detail when you don't have other people, such as your son, to worry about, ok?"

"Thank you, Doctor. I understand what you're saying, and I appreciate it." Rae got up and left the room. She walked slowly up to see Jesse. She knew that the doctor was right; she had to talk about how she felt. But while John was here, her responsibility was to him, and to Jesse, until he was well again. Then maybe she could attend to herself.

She found herself outside Jesse's room as she finished thinking. She smiled through the glass. John had his back to the door, but she could see that Jesse and he were, once again, deep in conversation. It gave her so much pleasure to see that she didn't enter immediately, but watched the scene in front of her.

"Rae, are you coming in, honey?" Jesse's voice cut into her trance and she opened the door. "Are you alright? You seemed to be miles away."

"No, I was right here, enjoying watching the you and John together. I love it that the two of you get along so well." She walked across, kissed her son on the cheek and then moved closer to Jesse. "Hi, darling, how are you this morning?" She kissed him on the lips before he had a chance to answer.

"Better, much better, I still feel really sore, but I know even that's easier than it was. I'm still holding out for Saturday as the day I can go home." He took her hand. "Do you have to go see Dr. Collins? Only John and I still have lots to talk about!"

"Oh, right, I know when I'm not wanted! Actually I have to go into the station, Levington's being arraigned this morning."

"John can stay here if you like. Amanda's coming up in a little while; they haven't met yet, have they?"

Rae shook her head. "Ok, I'll go and see about my hand. Take care you two." There was a spring in her step as she entered the ER. Dr. Collins didn't miss it.

"Good morning, Detective. Let's have a look at that hand."

It didn't take very long. Now that the antibiotics had sorted out the infection it was healing nicely. "I don't think I need to see you again this week. Come in next Monday and I can probably take out the stitches and you can start to use it again. You may need some physiotherapy on it, but we can decide that later." 

"Thank you. I'll see you then." Rae headed out of the hospital, hoping that nobody would realise that she was actually going into work. 

Steve was sat at his desk when she arrived. "Rae, what are you doing here? I thought you were on sick leave until next week."

"I am, but I want to make sure that Levington gets charged today." 

"Rae, it's all over, he was first up this morning. He was charged with kidnapping, grievous bodily harm, stalking and harassment. Bail was refused, and his preliminary hearing was set for two weeks time."

Rae sat heavily at her desk. "It's finished then, I don't have to worry about him any more." She ran her hand through her hair. "Thank goodness for that." She sat there quietly for a long time. 

Steve looked across every now and then, but she seemed at peace. He guessed that she had alot to think through. After about three quarters of an hour he walked over to her and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "Rae, are you alright? Can I get you anything?"

"No, Steve, thank you. I was just thinking, about a lot of things. Is the Chief in? Only I need to arrange for some holiday, then I can come back and finish my assignment, to the best of my ability."

**One Month Later**

Jesse was sitting on the Embankment, opposite The Houses of Parliament watching Mara and Patrick queue up for ice cream. Rae and John were throwing the remains of the picnic lunch on the ground for the pigeons. He smiled, so this was what having a family was like. He had taken Mara to school, been to a bike rally with John, and learnt more about sixteen-year olds from Patrick than he felt he really needed to know. All in all it had been great.

He and Rae had discussed how they felt about the second set of cameras in Rae's apartment. They hadn't had any of the problems from the first time around, and now they both felt that their relationship was stronger than ever.

"Jess, can you give Mara a hand, otherwise I think your lolly might become the pigeons pudding!" Rae smiled at him, she looked completely relaxed, in fact they all did.

"Ok." He walked over to where the dark haired child was struggling with her purchases. "Hey, sweetie, let me take that for you." He had got over seeing Hana Marlow every time he looked at her. He couldn't begin to imagine what Rae had felt that first time she had seen Hana's body. 

Mara looked up at him, the adoration in her eyes was clear for everybody to see. "I don't want you to go home tomorrow, Jesse. Can't you and mummy stay a little bit longer?"

"Mara, we already extended our stay by three days, we have to get back to work." He paused. "We need to start saving up, so that you can come and stay with us." She shrieked with joy.

"Mummy, mummy, Jesse says we can come and stay with you! You have to go home now and start saving up!" 

Rae laughed. "I guess you'd like to come then?" Mara nodded, her eyes bright now with excitement. "Well, my apartment is furnished again, I'm back at work, Jess will start back next Monday, if we leave it a couple of months I expect we'll be able to take some more time off. Then we can show you the sights and sounds of Los Angeles, how does that sound?"

Patrick put his arms around his Mum, "Anywhere or anything would be brilliant, as long as you are there."

Rae smiled at him. Jesse stopped a man walking past and she saw him ask if he would take a photo. The five of them stood together and smiled. _It doesn't get any better than this. _Jesse took her hand. They were together, and that was where they were supposed to be.

**The End.**

Thank you for finishing my story. I hope that you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. There will be another Rae story, I can't have her life running smoothly, from now on can I?

Tracy


End file.
